August and Everything After
by Anunaki
Summary: I wrote this about ten years ago after the end of the first season. It was my way to make sense of all the loose ends introduced at the end of season 1.
1. Chapter 1

Maria stopped at the intersection with the highway. She watched as the dust they had kicked up swirled around the telephone poles and highway signs, waiting for it to settle enough to see the oncoming traffic. Liz sat in the seat next to her, blankly staring out the window. They'd been driving for a while and Liz still hadn't said anything. She had been upset when she'd called Maria from that gas station outside of town. Maria still didn't know why she'd ended up there alone, or what had become of the others.

She had been going crazy waiting at the Crashdown for somebody to show up. She didn't want to go home, she still didn't have a good story of what happened to her mother's car. And although Alex seemed to be determined to wait forever for Isabel to return, she was too anxious to wait for Michael. The way he said good-bye made her think that she might be waiting forever. When Liz had called, she had been glad to have an excuse to be alone for a while.

Instead of getting on the highway, she pulled to the side and turned off the ignition. "Liz, we have been driving in silence long enough. I'm not getting on this road until you tell me what happened up there. Did their ship come and ... beam them up? Did they turn into some sort of hideous monsters? Tell me." Liz had been very upset when Maria had picked her up, but in the car she seemed to have calmed down, found some sort of resolve within herself. Now as she turned to Maria the tears were fresh in her eyes. "Nasedo warned them not to try to use the communicators, but they decided to anyway. And they got them to work. It showed them this image of a woman. She said that she was Max and Isabel's mother." Liz paused and looked out the windshield into the distance, as though searching for an answer there. "She told them that there had been a war. On their planet, Max, Michael, Isabel and Tess had died." She turned to see Maria's look of confusion, then looked again at the distant mountains. "As far as I can understand, what they are now is some kind of mix of human bodies and alien 'essence.' They were sent here for protection and so they could continue to fight and maybe save their world. The communicators sent a bright light up into the sky. Nasedo says that it probably signaled their enemies." Liz took a deep breath. "But that wasn't all, Maria. You know how ever since Tess showed up she seemed to have some kind of affect on Max? Well, now we know the reason why. They were meant to be together. On their home planet they were married. Isabel is Max's sister. And Michael," She paused and looked at Maria, "Michael is meant to be with Isabel."

Maria leaned back in her seat and put her hand over her eyes for a minute. "So what you're telling me is that they are some kind of alien spirits put inside human bodies?" She looked to Liz for some kind of confirmation and got nothing. She decided for the moment to think of the part of the story that she could understand. "And Michael and Isabel? With Tess and Max the attraction was immediate. Michael and Isabel have known each other their whole lives. Don't you think if they were meant to be together they would have felt it before now?" A look of doubt passed over her face as she remembered the dreams that Michael and Isabel had shared. She had tried to forget that it had ever happened. "Well, okay. Maybe it's not too much of a surprise. But still, when Michael and Isabel were dreaming about each other, they didn't just go for it. They tried to be closer to me and Alex. It must not be what they want. Surely they have some control over themselves."

"You didn't see them up there, Maria. Nasedo didn't have to show them how to make the communicators work. They just knew how, once they were all together. It seems like the more they learn about where they came from, the more it seems to come naturally to them. Like genetics or instinct. I'm not sure they have any choice."

* * *

Isabel woke to the morning sunlight streaming into her window. She looked around the room she had grown up in. Below she could hear her parents cleaning up the last of their dishes before heading off to work. This was the only home she had ever known. Lying here now it was easy to think that the last few days had just been a dream. But she knew that this was the fragile dream that might come crashing down at any second. Reality was fleeing from the FBI and learning that she was being hunted.

Most of yesterday was just a blur. She remembered coming home and telling her parents something about falling asleep at Michael's, then eating a quiet dinner and going up to her room. Neither she nor Max had felt much like talking. She was glad that school was out, her parents always let things go more in the summer. She waited in bed until she heard her parents muffled good-byes and their cars going down the street.

She peeked into Max's room before going downstairs. He was sleeping soundly. She could still see the fatigue in his face. She was glad that he really was her brother. It was good to know that one part of her life was still the same. As she was heading down the stairs the doorbell rang. She rushed to get it before it had a chance to wake Max. She was surprised at how relieved she was that it was Alex.

"Hi, Isabel." He looked at her apologetically. "I hope I'm not disturbing anything." He moved as though he was going to hug her, then stopped himself. "I just wanted to come by and see how you were."

"No, it's fine. My parents just left. Max is upstairs asleep. I'd rather not bother him, I think he needs some rest. Do you want to go for a walk?"

Alex nodded and followed Isabel out to the sidewalk. Isabel put her hand in Alex's as they walked in silence down the street to the park. When they came to a bench isolated from the children playing on the swingsets Isabel sat down. Alex sat down next to her and watched the children, every so often taking a quick glance at her. She knew he would wait patiently until she was ready to talk.

"We learned how to make the communicators work. They showed us a message from our mother, our real mother. She was beautiful, Alex. I've always wanted a mother that I could share all I was with. If we could find her, I could finally have a real family. But I don't know if she is even alive any more. There are people after us. They may have killed everyone on our planet. We were placed here to be protected, but by using the communicators we might have led the people who want to kill us here."

Alex took her hand. "Isabel, I've gotten to know you and you have been everything that I had ever hoped you would be. I know you don't completely trust me yet, but I will be here to help you anytime you need me. I may not have any special powers, I'm sure not the strongest guy in the world, but I will fight all I can against anyone, anything that would hurt you."

Isabel's eyes were shining with tears as she pulled Alex close. He held her, and for the first time felt that she was actually reaching for him, not just away from something else. Isabel had been debating with herself whether she should tell Alex about what she had learned about the relationship that seemed to be destined for her and Michael. Now she thought about the time she had visited his dreams and felt the desire he had just to know her. She had known then that they shouldn't have left him out. She couldn't shut him out now.

"This is hard to tell you, I don't even know how." She thought of Liz running away from Max when she found out about his and Tess's relationship. But if she wanted Alex to love her for who she was, she needed to open up to him completely. "Remember that time, I had those dreams? I thought I was...pregnant. I had those dreams because Michael and I are, well should be, ...'betrothed.'" She waited to see his reaction.

It took a minute for what she meant to sink in. He felt like they were finally connecting, he couldn't be losing her already. But she was here with him now, telling him about what had happened. "Isabel," He brushed the hair that falling down around her face back behind her shoulders "I knew when we first got involved that things might get a little weird. I expected that at anytime you might be taken away from me. I considered myself lucky that, for whatever reason, you chose me to be with. Whatever you decide, whether it's to stay with me, or go with Michael, I will support you. Although I'd rather have you with me."

He was ecstatic when she leaned over and kissed him gently. She didn't know what else they would learn about who they were and where they had come from, and she didn't know what it would mean in the future. But she knew that she had trusted her heart with the right person. "I would, too."


	2. Chapter 2

Michael looked up from his work as the bell on the door rang as the only customers left. He was glad this day was almost over. Ever since the night at the pod chamber he had been trying to keep a low profile, going home only briefly and spending the rest of the time at the reservoir or at the pod chamber. Most of the time was spent trying to decipher the notebook or find something that would help him remember the time before coming out of the pods. But to be perfectly honest, he was really avoiding being anywhere Maria would be able to find him. He was sure that at any minute she would appear out of nowhere to confront him with something about their "relationship."

But even if he was destined to save his world, he still had to buy food and pay for his apartment here. So he had to come in and face Maria. He had expected her to be angry, or hurt. At least show some emotion. Instead, she had just given him a funny look when he walked in and had just seemed kind of detached since then. In a way it really threw him off. He was used to sensing what she was feeling a mile away. He felt like a boxer that has been hyping himself for months for the big fight suddenly finding himself without an opponent.

Maria finished wiping off the table and sat down for a minute at the counter. She was glad it was a slow day. Liz had decided to take some time off work so Maria had been working double duty. She had been so nervous about seeing Michael again, but after the shift she had pulled last night, she found she didn't have the strength now to even think about having a conversation with him. She knew when or if it did come it would take all the energy she had left.

And what was with Liz? Every time she had seen Liz since she picked her up in the desert she always seemed to have someplace to be going. Maybe the pain of breaking up with Max was just too much for her, and she just needed some time away from the usual surroundings to find her feet again. Whatever, Maria would just be glad when Liz came back to work and things could start getting back to as normal as possible for them. She tilted her head back and thought about how nice it would be to go home tonight, fill the bath up with cool water and relaxing lavender salt, and pretend she was just a normal teenager from Des Moines.

Michael finished chopping onions and noticed how quiet it was up front. He looked out to make sure Maria was still there. He watched her for a moment as she stretched out. The bright summer light coming through the windows caught the highlights of her hair and gave her a fiery halo. It was a hot afternoon, and the slight sweat on her skin took on a dewy radiance. Her remembered the warm, satiny feel of her skin against his, and the exotic fragrance that always seemed to cling to it.

They were suddenly thrown out of their respective reveries by the ringing of the bell on top of the door. Maria jumped to her feet and was putting on her best hostess smile when she turned to see that it was Tess.

"Oh, Tess." Maria flashed her the smile she'd been preparing. "Will you be eating in or taking Max?" She didn't feel that flippant, but for some reason couldn't stop herself.

Tess looked at her coolly. "The last I remember, Liz was the one running away. At least she's smart enough to figure out that she should stay out of things she has no place in." Her face brightened to a smile as Michael came out into the dining area. "Anyway, I just came by to give Michael his keys back." She wrinkled her nose as she handed the keys to Michael. "Ew, onion. Hope that wears off before you come home. See you later." She flashed another smile at Michael before walking out the door.

Maria gaped at Michael. "Home? You're living with her now?"

"Now, here it comes," Michael thought as he headed back to the kitchen. Maria followed as if pulled in his wake. He turned to face her, her tense little body sending out waves of aggression. This is what he had expected of her. It was strange, he almost found pleasure in this confrontation. "Don't say it like that. Were not living together, you know, like that."

"Not unless Tess is willing to forget all about that destiny crap. And guessing by the way she went after Max, she isn't. Or is any breathing alien good enough for her?"

"Look, she's got nowhere else to go and we're, well..." Michael suddenly remembered how he had planned for this conversation to go. "Anyway, it's none of your business."

Maria's eyes burned into him like white-hot embers. Her words came out slow and measured. "None of my business? You're the one who came to me, right here in this very room. You're the one who said "I love you" and then "good-bye."" The anger drained from her eyes and fell, wet and hot down her face. "Is that it for us, Michael? "Good-bye" and everything we had is gone?"

Michael had told himself he was going to stand strong. Be the bad guy and get it over with. It should come naturally to him, right? Now, he just wanted to hold her and comfort her. He turned away from her and grabbed the edge of the cold, steel countertop tightly.

"Maria, we all have talents. You've seen them. Tess can make people see illusions. Isabel can walk through peoples minds. Max can heal people. I kill people. The further away from me you are, the safer you are."

He could feel her moving closer behind him. Her hand lightly touching his arm felt like it was burning his skin. "I don't believe it. Being with you, yeah, at the beginning it felt kind of dangerous." He could feel his heart sink at her words. "But exciting. Now, when I'm with you, I feel safe."

"Well, believe it. I know it's the one thing that I've done with my powers that I got right from the start. It's what I'm programmed to do." The bell on the front of the restaurant rang sharply. Maria stepped back and wiped her eyes.

"You're also programmed to love Isabel, aren't you? So how come you were with me?" After a quick deep breath to regain her compose, Maria slipped out the door to wait on her customers.

* * *

Max pulled his jeep into the alley behind the Crashdown. He had seen Liz's light on from the road, and noticed that her parent's car was gone. He hoped that he might have a chance to find her home alone. It had been several weeks since that morning at the pod chamber. He didn't like to think of it. All they had learned that day of who they were and the only image his brain could hold onto was of her, running through the desert, away from him.

Nervously he climbed the fire escape. He thought of all the other times he had done so in the past several months. Most of the last times he had been happy. His heart would be racing in anticipation of seeing her, of sharing at least a few moments alone with her in this place that was so much theirs. This felt more like that first time, so long ago, when he didn't know what to expect when he reached the top, acceptance or rejection. He kept telling himself that all she needed was a little more time. Time to realize that they had learned more, but nothing to change the choices they'd made when they had said they loved each other. He just hoped he'd given her enough time.

Liz heard a sound on the balcony. Her heart leapt, and it took everything she had to remain were she was. She had been afraid this moment would come. Now she focused all her energy into willing herself to be strong.

"Liz?" She didn't want to turn around and look into his eyes, the eyes she had so often lost herself in, and tell him what she knew she had to say. She turned, and the sight of him standing in the moonlight almost made her lose her resolve. It would be so easy to give in, to try to let things be as they were before. But she loved him, and that meant letting him be who he needed to be.

"Max. What are you doing here?" Her voice was too calm. He could sense the pain behind it and the effort it was taking her to keep it under control. This meeting was not going to go the way he had hoped. But at least he knew she still cared. Maybe he could make her come back to him.

"I thought, maybe, we could ... talk." She looked at him. Her eyes, usually so warm and expressive, were cold and silent. Being shut out from her like this was a torture worse than any thing Pierce had done to him. He had to move closer to her. No matter what she tried to hide, he knew that one touch between them and all that she felt would be opened up to him. Her body screamed for that closeness. She closed her eyes and tried to ignore it.

"Max. Please, don't." She opened her eyes again and he could see the struggle she was in to keep the tears away.

"I don't understand, Liz." He was so close, she could feel his breath and the heat radiating from his skin. "We love each other. We had decided that nothing was going to keep us apart." Her own skin was electrified, ready to respond to the slightest contact from him. She took a step back. He felt the pain of rejection again. "Why did you run away?"

This was so much harder that she thought it would be. She felt lightheaded and weak in the knees. She quickly sat on the bed, hoping he wouldn't notice her shakiness. "It's wrong, you being here. We can't be together."

"Why are you saying that? This can't be about me and Tess." He looked at her face, worried that he might have hurt her more by bringing that up. Her expression didn't change. "She can't come between us. I may have once, in some other life, had some sort of connection to her. But I don't know her. It's you I've wanted for years. It's you I always want to be with." He stopped as a silent sob shook Liz. These are the words she lived to hear from him, but they were no comfort now.

"Don't you see, Max. It doesn't matter what we want. You won't say anything, you try to protect my feelings, but I know. I know you still have thoughts about Tess. You can't control it. But even aside from that, we're talking about something bigger than our relationship. There's something you are meant to do." Her eyes searched his, pleading. "I saw the way you worked the communicators. It something inside you, all of you, that just told you what to do. Ever since Tess showed up, I can tell, something inside of you is waking up."

He couldn't meet her eyes as he thought about the impulse he had felt that had told him how to open the pod chamber. "Even if that's true, it wont change how I feel about you. I can't imagine that not being a part of me."

"As much as I would like to believe you, I don't think you will be able to control it. I can't be near you and feel you growing away from me, I couldn't stand it. That's why I'm leaving." Max looked at her as if she had slapped him in the face.

"Leaving? Where are you going?"

"I've been talking to Mr. Phillips, my physics teacher. In the summer he works up in Los Alamos. It took a lot of work but he managed to get me into an internship at the labs. I'm going to be spending the summer and next semester there, working in a molecular biology lab."

Max was speechless. He turned around and looked out the window. He thought of all the times he had driven by here and convinced himself not to come up, determined that the best thing would be for them to stay away from each other. He regretted now, all the time he had lost. If he hadn't pushed her away at the beginning she never would be doing this now.

Liz stood up and walked over to him by the window. He turned, startled at her hand gently resting on his shoulder. "Max, you are a prince, the leader of a planet. There are things you are going to have to do, and you can't have me to worry about in your way. You've found your destiny and the person you are supposed to be with. Let me do the same. Now, please go." He stared at her silently, trying to think of something to say. Liz turned around to sit back at her desk were she had been when he had come in. He hesitated a moment more, then climbed back out to the balcony. Liz only started breathing again when she heard his jeep fire up and drive away.


	3. Chapter 3

Max drove through the dark streets of Roswell. He had hoped that his visit with Liz would have been longer. Now he just drove aimlessly as one by one the shop lights turned off and the traffic dwindled to an occasional police patrol. The sky had the eerie glow that desert towns get before a late summer rain and already the air was filled with the smell of moisture and mesquite. Fat drops began hitting his windshield and splattering with a sound like gravel on glass. He knew that this would be a good rain and in a matter of minutes he may not be able to even see where he was going. He needed to stop somewhere, but he didn't feel like going home yet.

Without even making the decision he found himself driving on the road to the Pohlman ranch. He switched the jeep into four-wheel drive and carefully made his way up the muddy roads. To the left of him the normally dry arroyo had become a raging torrent. The rain began leaking through the holes in the canvas roof. He pulled up against the sandstone cliffs into a small wind depression that would partly shield the jeep from the worst of the weather and slowly made his way up the bluff.

He had expected the cave to be dark and was surprised to find a faint glow coming from the pod chambers. Veins in the amniotic gel pulsed and glowed. He touched it and the glow spread to his hand, the blood from his hand turning it red and making his bones visible through the skin. Suddenly the glow spread around the walls of the cave until pinpoints of light were sparkling in every direction. Startled, Max jerked his hand away, then stopped as he realized that breaking the connection might cause all this to disappear. Thankfully, the lights didn't flicker out. He looked down at his hand. The gel had curled in thin tendrils around his finger. He could feel the pulsing now, it seemed to feed something into his body. He felt strong and awake.

The glowing veins around the chambers thickened and spread until the chambers were rings of light. Max watched as the glow spread quickly up his arm in thin, jagged lines under his skin, following the patterns of his veins. Suddenly he was blinded by a bright light that seemed to explode behind his eyes. The light faded and Max was aware again of pinpoints of light surrounding him. This time they were moving slowly around him. He realized that he was not seeing the inside of the cave but was floating through the emptiness of space. He could see the shimmering colors of gaseous nebulas and tired glow of dying red giants.

The stars began flying faster and a bright star in front of him grew until it looked like a glowing cloud, then split into many stars, curling to form the arms of a spiral galaxy. Out of the galaxy, one star grew brighter, and as he drew closer to it he could see planets swirling around it. In an instant he was standing in a field of tall grass with jagged mountains reaching up to the sky around him. A city of glowing domes and crystalline spires stretched out into the distance in front of him. Max had a feeling of happiness and belonging like he had never felt in his life. The happiness slowly changed into fear and sadness. He looked again at the city and this time saw the spires falling down, yellow smoke spewing out of the broken, burning domes. He looked up at the stars and they shifted until they were clustered together into a broken circle with three triangles meeting together at their points. Max stood transfixed as the weird symbol burned in the night sky. After a minute the symbol faded, and when Max looked around again he was once again in the cave. The glowing pods pulsed erratically a few more times, then went dark.

* * *

Michael carefully made his way across the room. The rain beating against the window made it hard to sleep, the clouds blocking out the moon made the dark room unfamiliar. The only light was the frequent flashes of lightening that left him with disconnected images. Plus he had the added challenge of all the knickknacks and weird shit that Tess had insisted on bringing over with her. His foot hit some sharp corner and only his hand accidentally coming into contact with the counter stopped him and some undoubtedly priceless object from falling to the floor. Cursing under his breath, Michael replaced the odd porcelain figure on its pedestal.

He hated having to sneak around like this in his own home. It reminded him too much of living with Hank, always creeping around to avoid waking Hank from his drunken stupor. To be fair, walking around barefoot was overall less hazardous now than when he was living with Hank or alone. Along with her assortment of figurines, Tess had also brought cleaning supplies and a vacuum cleaner. He had thought that Isabel's comments about needing to clean the place up had stemmed from her own incessant compulsion for neatness. Now he wondered if this was just the way all women were. Although Maria had never mentioned anything. Maybe she was different. Then again, maybe she just wanted to be with him enough it didn't matter.

Michael left that thought and turned back to the reason he had gotten up. Peering into the harsh light of the refrigerator, he realized that the cleanliness level is not the only change Tess had brought. The once half empty shelf of Crashdown leftovers was now crowded with fruits, vegetables, and neat little plastic boxes holding the remains of what ever Tess ate when he wasn't home. He peeked into a couple of containers. Not recognizing anything he grabbed a yogurt, peeled back the foil lid, added a shot of tobasco, and stumbled his way back to the couch. Just as he was congratulating himself for getting back in one piece, someone started pounding on the door.

"Oh, screw it." Michael reached over and turned the light on. If someone was going to wake him up this late, there was no reason Tess shouldn't be woken up too. The knocking continued, a little louder. "Hold on, I'm coming."

He opened the door to find Max looking shaken and feverish.

"Max, what happened?"

In a daze, Max walked in and sat down on the couch. "I was out at the pod chamber."

Michael looked past his friend at the water pouring in sheets down his window. "Tonight? Why?"

"I hadn't planned on it. I went to see Liz." Max paused as he met Michael's disapproving gaze. "I know what you're thinking. But I had to try to talk to her. We talked. She told me she's leaving."

"Liz leaving, really?" Tess stepped out of the bedroom, groggily rubbing her eyes. Max looked in astonishment at Tess, then accusingly at Michael. "I guess the Crashdown will need a new waitress. I was looking for a job, maybe I should apply there."

Max rose to his feet. "No."

Tess pouted. "If I work there, maybe Ill actually get to see you once in a while."

"If you do..." As Max took a step toward Tess, Michael put a restraining hand on his shoulder. They both froze. The storm outside suddenly seemed to invade the room. Tess could feel the electric charge in the air. A flash of light arced between the two men as the images from that night flowed from Max to Michael.

"What was that?" Michael looked at Max in confusion.

"I don't know. I think it's our home."


	4. Chapter 4

Diane Evans watched as her son stared listlessly at the food in front of him. He had been moping around the house for weeks now and she was beginning to worry. She had heard that Liz Parker was going away soon, she suspected that explained a lot of it. She was surprised to find out Liz and Max were more than friends when she had been called to the principal's office last spring. Part of her had been relieved that her son was starting to have a normal teenage life. Then, just as suddenly as she found out, the relationship seemed to be over. Now the wariness that had briefly dropped from him was back stronger than ever.

"Max, honey, are you okay? You're barely eating."

"What?" Max was pulled back to reality to find his mother and sister looking at him. "I'm fine. I'm just a little tired." He could feel his mother's scrutinizing gaze.

"I'm worried about you. Here it is summer and you barely leave the house. This is a great time in your life, you should be out having fun with your friends." Max continued to look sullenly down at his plate. Diane figured she might as well try to guess what was going on. "If this has something to do with Liz Parker, you're way too young to be this serious..."

"Mom, please. This has nothing to do with her." Diane looked stunned at her son's harsh tone. He had always been so easy-going as a child. She always felt so lucky to have him when other mothers complained about how difficult raising teenagers was. But the last couple of months he seemed to have changed.

Max caught Isabel's reproachful stare. "It's just having to deal with all the tourists coming to the museum in the summer. I get tired of explaining the same things over and over. Today I had to listen to some guy from Minnesota describe his abduction for twenty minutes in gory detail. I guess it kind of spoiled my appetite. Do you mind if I go to my room?" He could tell that his mother wasn't quite buying his excuse. He was relieved when she sighed and nodded.

Max collapsed on his bed. It had surprised him when his mother had mentioned Liz. He thought about her all the time. He couldn't imagine what it was going to be like when school started again. He was so used to being aware of her. Every year he had carefully noted where her locker was, what her class schedule was. It wasn't quite like he was stalking her. He didn't follow her around or hang out watching her. He just liked to know that if he ever wanted to see her, all he had to do was walk a different way to class. Even when he was pushing her away, as long as he was seeing her everyday he felt that there might be a chance for them.

The thought of her not being there was almost more than he could take. He couldn't concentrate on work. He couldn't sleep. If only he could think of some way to change her mind. Some way to make everything right again. He was confused and angry. But more than anything he was tired. He closed his eyes, trying to relax for just a minute.

_Max walks silently through the streets of Roswell. People pass him carrying bags after shopping or briefcases on their way home from work. Some relax on benches under the elm trees to recap the events of the day with their friends and coworkers. Always, he can tell, they are sneaking sly glances at him, then looking quickly away. Their light conversations become muted and subdued as he passes by. He can sense their unease, see the nervousness in their eyes. It's not for him though. These are his people, they look to him for strength and reassurance. He cannot let them down._

_Suddenly he stumbles as the ground, once solid, trembles sickeningly under his feet. Confused and frightened, the people on the sidewalks scatter towards the shelter of the buildings and cars. Some pause as they go by him, slowing, looking at him as if seeking some kind of guidance._

_Someone is tugging on his jacket. It's Nasedo, pulling him towards the shelter of the nearest buildings. "Come, we must get you to safety." A helicopter emerges from behind the UFO museum. He sees the big yellow FBI on the side as it flies by. Nasedo pulls on him again. Max begins to follow, then stops as he notices the helicopter landing on the Crashdown down the street._

_"Liz!"_

_"She's safe. Michael is with her." Max pulls away from Nasedo and runs towards the Crashdown. He bursts through door and starts running up the stairs. He hears Michael's voice as he argues with someone, then his shout followed by a gunshot. He turns the corner to see Michael's body falling to the floor._

_"Liz!"_

_Liz turns, he can see the shock of what she's just seen in her face. Behind her, a man in a flak suit levels his weapon. Max doesn't hear the bullet, but sees the flash from the muzzle, then Liz's body lurch unnaturally and crumple to the floor._

_"No!"_

Max woke with a start, the sound of his voice still echoing in his ears. It took him a minute to realize that it had all been a dream.


	5. Chapter 5

Liz was alone at the back of the Crashdown, cleaning out her locker. She had left it until the last thing before leaving. Upstairs, her room was bare of her favorite things and everyday essentials. It looked abandoned, but it was still her room. Her locker, however, would need to be ready for her replacement. Emptied out. It was the air of finality that had made her delay so long.

With her uniform gone, all that remained were some hair ties, makeup, and some trinkets customers had either given her or left behind and never claimed. Some of the more memorable items she put into her bookbag, the rest she dumped into the trash. Finally, there were only two items left. She had jammed them into the back and hadn't thought about them until now.

The first was a half-used order pad. The once bright red stain had turned rusty brown. As she looked at it her fingers went unconsciously to the smooth skin of her stomach. In one instant Max Evans had changed everything she believed about who she was and what her future would be. He had branded her with the knowledge of things that were beyond her wildest dreams. And he hadn't even left a scar.

She turned her attention to the last item. A picture her father had taken at the school camping trip. She and Maria, sitting on a log in front of the fire. They look like mannequins, the details of their features washed out by the artificial brilliance of the flash. They are bright ghosts against the black night, their faces frozen in smiles as they try to pretend that everything is normal. It is what's behind her that made her hold on to the picture. Max, accidentally caught in the camera lens. His attention probably attracted by her father's efforts to coordinate the perfect shot, he looks at her longingly from the background. She slipped the photo into the order pad and gently placed them in the book bag.

"You're doing the right thing." Startled, Liz looked up to see Michael watching her from the kitchen door. She quickly zipped up the book bag and looked at the locker, uncomfortable that once again her most private feelings had been exposed to him.

"Yeah. I guess." She closed the locker and turned to face him. "You need to do the right thing, too."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean with Maria. I'm doing the easy thing, leaving. She can't. She'll have to see you everyday. I don't know what exactly you feel for her, if you really even do have feelings for her. But I know how she feels. If there's no hope for you two, let her go."

He stood immobile, his guarded expression not changing. Finally, he nodded slightly. Satisfied, Liz turned toward the door.

"Liz?" She stopped and Michael walked awkwardly towards her. "I want to say thanks. And sorry. I didn't think that we should trust you. I was wrong." He looked at her uncertainly, then gave her a gentle hug. Her amazement turned to shock when he quickly tilted her head up and kissed her. Suddenly she was plunged into the feelings of loneliness and isolation Michael had experienced as a child. She saw Hank and felt the bewilderment and loss of innocence as the man who had been so sweet with the case worker came at Michael with his belt in his hand. He saw Max and Isabel and felt a fierce protectiveness towards them. She saw Maria as she opened the door of the Crashdown for Michael and felt need mixed with the confusion of why Maria would let him do this.

At the clang of a metal tray hitting the floor Michael jumped back and Liz was thrust back to the present. Maria stood at the doorway, frozen in shock. Michael looked quickly again at Liz, his eyes searching her face, then walked back into the kitchen without meeting Maria's stare. Maria watched him leave then turned to Liz. "Tell me this isn't happening."

"Maria, listen. It's not what you think."

"No. It all makes perfect sense to me now. He's been pushing me away all this time because it's you he really wants. It's not just Max. You attract all Czechoslovakians. It's not your fault."

Liz could tell from Maria's voice that she was close to being hysterical. She lead Maria over to the couch. "You know that's not true. Michael cares about you a lot."

"Oh, I guess you just know everything about him now?" Liz looked at the floor, trying to think of some way to explain what just happened without upsetting Maria more. Maria's glare turned to astonishment as she realized what was causing Liz's silence. "You had a flash, didn't you?"

"I'm sorry." Maria just sat in stunned silence as what had just happened sunk in.

"You know what, don't worry about it. Sometimes when the cosmos it telling you that something isn't meant to happen, you just have to shut up and listen." Maria grabbed a tissue and dried her eyes. "You are really lucky to be getting out of here."

"I was afraid you'd be mad at me for leaving."

"I am. I can't believe that you are leaving me to deal with all this stuff by myself. But I understand."

Jeff Parker came down the stairs carrying his and Nancy's suitcases. "Liz, you about ready to go? Your mother's about to lock up the house, so if you forgot anything you better go get it." Liz nodded, and Jeff carried the bags out to the car.

Maria stood up. "I guess I'd better get back to work." As they hugged goodbye Liz felt guilty again for leaving her friend alone.

"Call me. If you ever need to talk, or anything."

"Don't worry," Maria glanced at the kitchen. "I think you'll probably be hearing from me a lot." They hugged again and Maria headed back out to the dining room. Liz shouldered her bags and headed out to the car.

It took a minute for her eyes to adjust to the bright morning sunlight. When they did, she could see that the figure leaning against the car hood was not her father. Max. She had almost done it, almost gotten away without having to see him again. Why did he have to torture her like this?

She barely glanced at him as she walked over and threw her bags in the back of the Explorer. "I'm not changing my mind. The plans have already been made. My aunt and uncle have a room made up for me. They're expecting me for work on Monday. If you think you can persuade me not to go, it's too late."

"I know. I think you should go." Liz tried to hide the hurt in her eyes. Now he wanted her to leave? Was it that easy for him to change his mind? "I've started to think that Nasedo is right, someone is coming after us. I think we'll all be in danger." Max could see the worry in her eyes and realized that by saying he was in danger he had said the one thing that would have kept her from going. He pulled her to him in a fierce embrace. "Knowing that you're somewhere safe will give me the strength to fight. And when it's all over, nothing is going to keep me away from you again." He tenderly tilted her face up towards his. As she lifted her eyes to his she felt the connection between them. His mouth caught hers and their flesh seemed to melt together as feelings of love and desire washed over them. Reluctantly, Max pulled away. He softly brushed away the tears on her cheek. "Liz, I love you." His eyes lingered on her face a moment longer, then he turned and headed out towards the street.


	6. Chapter 6

Nancy Parker watched her husband as he steered their SUV off the highway towards the Giant truckstop. Like a moth to a flame, she thought. She winked at her daughter conspiratorially. "Where are we going, Jeff?"

"Just to get some snacks for the road." Liz's sadness eased at her mother's smile. Despite owning the town greasy spoon, Jeff Parker normally was very conscientious about what he ate. Except when driving long distances. Somehow he had trouble facing the open road without chips, jerky, or sunflower seeds in his hand. He negotiated through the semis and parked near the door.

"You guys coming?"

Nancy shook her head. "I don't need the temptation. Just get me some juice."

Liz hopped out and followed her dad in. The place was bustling with cross-country truckers and vacationing families. Liz made her snack selections, then stood looking at the magazines while her dad waited in line to pay. Someone bumped into her from behind. Her mind was filled with images of stars and galaxies. It was like what she saw with Nasedo but this time she felt chilled to the bone and desperately afraid. She slowly turned to examine the crowd around her. A young man chased after his running toddler. A large trucker in a plaid shirt made his way to the bathroom. A teenage girl perused the romance novels in the rack behind Liz. There were just too many people around to know who could have caused the flash.

Liz noticed her dad motioning to her from the door and followed him out to the car. Despite the heat rising from the concrete, Liz shivered.

Liz watched as the scenery flying by changed from rolling plains to mountain peaks as in her mind she debated what had happened. It had been an emotional day for her. Maybe her mind was just playing tricks on her. She didn't want to call Maria and tell her about the flash unless she was sure. Especially with what had happened that morning. She didn't really have any real information, anyway.

Then she thought again of the feelings the flash had evoked and knew she at least had to try to pass on a warning. She saw a sign for a rest stop up ahead. "Hey, dad, can we stop at the next rest stop? I think I should stay away from the super big gulps for the rest of the trip."

She followed her mother into the rest stop then slipped back outside and turned on her cell phone.

* * *

Max sat alone in a booth at the Crashdown. His fingers absentmindedly brushed against the glass in front of him, making random patterns in the condensation on the side. Then he realized they were not random patterns. He recognized some of his doodling as the symbols in the book Tess had revealed. They held no meaning to him, but they did serve to remind him of just how planned his whole life was, and that the plan wasn't his.

He looked up at the counter and remembered that day, seemingly so long ago, when he had watched Liz as she worked, his feelings for her still unspoken. The time they had spent together since he had saved her life had been so short. He regretted all the time he had pushed her away at first. All the lost kisses, the lost moments not having her in his arms.

At the counter, Maria refilled the catsup bottles as Alex finished eating his fries. Alex looked up when he realized that the pause in Maria's work was lasting a little too long. He followed her gaze to the booth where Max sat. "So he's just been sitting there ever since Liz left?"

"Yep."

Alex shook his head. "I really feel for him. I'd hate to be in that position."

"Yeah, who'd have guessed that out of all of us the only relationship with any staying power would be you and the fashion queen."

Alex looked hurt. "Ouch!"

Maria turned her attention fully to Alex as she realized what she'd said. "Sorry, Alex. It's been a really tough day."

"Kind of hard to believe that Liz is really gone?"

"You have no idea." Alex waited expectantly for Maria to continue. Maria looked over to the order window, where Michael was placing an order out. She turned to the ringing bell. "I'll tell you about it later."

Michael watched as Maria took the food, never once letting her eyes turn towards him. Of all the ways Maria could drive him crazy, the silent treatment was the worst. When she was angry, she wouldn't shut up. Quiet was hurt. He hated the quiet. He tried to push aside the jealousy he felt when he heard her talking and joking with the Pepsi delivery man. He quickly turned back to his cooking as she lead the delivery man back to the store room.

"Hey, man. Got a delivery here I need signed for." Michael's hands were bloody and cold from cutting meat. He looked out at the dining area where Maria was taking an order.

"Yeah, just a minute." He washed his hands and took the clipboard and pen. "You new on this route?"

"This is my first time out. Name's Jeb." Michael shook Jeb's outstretched hand.

"Michael. Next time park out in the alley. Deliveries in back."

"Okay, buddy. We'll see you next time."

Michael returned to chopping meat. He looked out to the dining area. Maria was talking to Alex, and by the look on Alex's face he could guess what she was saying. Max had left, even Romeo had hit his limit for sitting around moping. Michael moved closer to the window, curious about the delivery man's behavior. He had been on his way out, then stopped at the booth where Max had been sitting. Jeb turned Max's glass slowly, then looked around at the customers.

After Jeb was out the door, Michael walked over to see what had grabbed his attention. Although the condensation droplets running down the side had obscured it somewhat, Michael could still make out the symbols drawn on the side of the glass. Outside, the truck was already gone. He'd have to talk to Max later. They couldn't afford to be this careless.


	7. Chapter 7

Maria had been in and out of the kitchen a dozen times as she did all the closing chores and still had never once looked at Michael. He tried to fight it, but finally couldn't resist the need to try to somehow make things a little better.

"Maria?" She shut the door and turned toward him, her face barely betraying the hurt and anger she felt. He hesitated, not knowing what to say. "Look, what you saw before. We owe Liz a lot. I was just saying good-bye."

Maria just shook her head in disbelief. "Is that some sort of apology? Liz explained what happened this morning. But you know what? It doesn't matter anyway. I am tired of your crap. You're right, we are obviously not meant to be together. But we do work together. Can we just do that without you being too much of a jerk?"

Maria grabbed the empty creamer tray from the counter. Michael looked just in time to see the tray hit one of the old coffee cans he had emptied the fryer into. The can, dripping with hot grease, started to tumble, it's contents flying out towards Maria. He responded the only way he knew how. He reached out with his mind and sent a blast towards her. She slid across the room and came to a gentle stop against the cabinets as the grease splattered harmlessly to the floor. Michael rushed over to her. She was still breathing, he was thankful for that. She wasn't dead like Pierce.

"Wow." Maria looked at the spilled grease across the room. "Just like that kid in Poltergeist."

Michael grimaced, not amused. "Did I hurt you?"

"No. I stopped sliding just before hitting the cabinets." He continued looking her over, trying to find any bruises or scratches. He was just about to stop with his inspection, satisfied that she wasn't lying just to make him feel better when he noticed the smooth skin around her ankle angry red and puckering.

"You're burned." Damn, he thought, he hadn't acted fast enough. He took the towel from his apron and ran it under cold water then placed it gingerly over her hurt ankle. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you."

"You didn't hurt me. If you hadn't done what you did it would have been a lot worse." Her voice grew serious. "I told you, I know you would never hurt me." Without thinking he brushed his fingers through her hair and pulled her face close to his. For a minute he felt only the relief that she was okay and her nearness as his lips found hers. He felt her lips softening in response to the pressure of his gentle kiss. Quickly, he pulled himself away. She barely heard him mumble "sorry" as he headed for the mop bucket.

"Geez, first Liz and now me. You must think you're quite the stud today." The iciness in her voice was like a dagger to his heart. He suddenly felt his defenses melting away. He looked at Maria with an earnestness that she had never seen before.

"Joke about it if you want. But thinking of you hurt, like you could have been here..." He gestured to the grease spill. He crouched down beside her. In his eyes was the gentleness she'd always searched for in him. "Growing up with Hank, I never thought that I would ever be able to feel close to any human. All I had was Max and Isabel. I never expected to be close to anyone else." He looked up at the ceiling and shook his head slightly. "I can't believe I'm actually saying this, but Maria, the truth is you are the only person I care about from this planet. You have been there for me when nobody else was."

"Then why do you keep pushing me away?"

"Because how I feel doesn't change the fact that I don't belong here. I have been searching for answers for as long as I can remember, and I'm so close now. I can't let anything get in the way of that."

"So what, then?"

"We just need to, you know, let things cool down."

Maria sighed. "Okay, but I'm not waiting around for you." Michael was glad to see some of the old fieriness coming back to her eyes. "I mean, I've got a life and things I need to do too."

"I know." Michael helped Maria to her feet. She brushed her uniform off and considered Michael thoughtfully.

"Liz and I have a little ritual. When things get to be too much, we make a big 'men-suck' sundae and gorge ourselves while we bitch about what's bothering us. Granted, what's normally bothering us is you and Max, but I feel today really deserves some gluttony. So, you up for some ice cream?"

Michael rolled his eyes and headed back over to the sink.

"I'm gonna take that as a yes."

Twenty minutes later Michael and Maria were changed and sitting in one of the few lighted booths at the end of the darkened diner. On the table between them were lots of little saucers full of all the spicy condiments they could find in the kitchen. Michael was taking turns dipping spoonfuls of ice cream and hot fudge into the saucers. Even Maria was trying different combinations every once in a while.

"The green chili's okay." Michael looked thoughtfully at his spoon.

"But what?"

"I dunno, it just doesn't have the right tang."

"Well, anything's got to be better than hot mustard and hot fudge. That has got to be the worst thing I've ever had in my mouth."

Michael shot her a leering smile. "Is that right?"

Maria's eyes widened and she kicked him playfully under the table. "A joke, Michael? There may be hope for you yet." Maria looked up at the clock and sighed. "I should be getting home. My mom will be wondering why I'm taking so long." Maria winced slightly as she stood. She put her foot up on the bench and pulled back the sock. The burn was starting to blister. "This is going to be fun."

Michael held onto her foot with one hand and held the other above the burn. She could tell he was trying hard to focus. She felt her ankle tingle, then the burning cool a little. He pulled his hand away. The burn wasn't as bad, but was still there. "That's the best I can do."

Maria sensed his disappointment. "That's okay. It does feel better than it did before." She didn't know what else to say. Michael just blandly played with the melting ice cream. She started rummaging in her bag for her car keys. Michael frowned. "Is your purse...beeping?"

"Hmmm?" Maria looked up from her search. "Oh, that's just my cell phone. Somebody left me a message. Probably my mom's freaking out." Michael watched as Maria navigated through what seemed to be an endless string of directions and key punches.

"Hey, It's Liz." Maria listened to the message intently. Her look of surprise quickly changed to a look of shock. She was pale when she hung up the phone.

"What's up?" Michael started piling up the dishes. This didn't look good, but he didn't want to pry.

"Remember when Nasedo kidnapped Liz? She knew it wasn't Max because of the flashes she saw when she kissed him." Michael shifted uncomfortably as Maria paused, guessing that she was thinking of what she had walked in on before. "She had another flash at the truck stop on the way out of town. She says she felt something terrible. She thinks it's someone coming for you."

"What time did she call?"

"1:30."

Michael thought of the guy he had seen that afternoon. That had been about 2:00. That fit about the right time. "You know, a lot has happened. She's been through a lot the past couple of weeks. I'm sure it's just her imagination. I wouldn't worry about it. Let's just put these dishes away and go home."

Maria nodded numbly and followed him out. She knew he was lying, trying to protect her, but she suddenly had lost the energy to argue.


	8. Chapter 8

The semi-circle of teens in Michael's apartment sat in silence, each pondering the possible implications after Michael and Maria had recounted their stories. Alex was the first to speak. "So, some delivery guy saw some doodles Max had made. I don't think that necessarily means that he wants to kill you. He may have just been passing by and thought they were interesting."

"And what about the flash Liz got?" Maria asked.

"There's no reason to think the two things are related."

It bothered Michael that Alex was so quick to dismiss any danger. He was a good friend, and his electronics skills had proved useful, but he wasn't the one being hunted. "We have to be on our guard. The only way to be prepared is to assume the worst. If I didn't see the same guy Liz got the flash from, that means there are two of them looking for us."

Isabel looked up at Michael's words. "The message said that we would know our enemies by the evil inside them. Liz was scared by what she saw. Maybe she can sense the evil inside." She turned to Michael. "Did you and the delivery guy touch at all? You know, bump into each other or anything?"

Micheal thought back. "Yeah, he introduced himself. We shook hands."

"And you didn't sense anything?" Michael shook his head.

"Well, that doesn't really mean anything. Michael's always been weak with his powers." They all turned to where Tess sat slightly away from the others. Michael glared at her. She shrugged. "Well, it's true, isn't it? Have you ever been able to make a mental connection with anyone?"

Michael ran a hand through his hair and rubbed his neck, uncomfortable that he and his abilities, or lack thereof, were suddenly the center of attention. He glanced at Maria, but she just stared at the floor. "Yeah, of course."

Alex gave Isabel's hand a slight squeeze. "Then the guy at the Crashdown must not be one of these evil aliens."

"Okay, that might be true. But I still don't understand what happened with Liz. Nasedo always told me that the four of us would share a telepathic connection, that's part of our alien legacy. But Liz is human. She shouldn't have that ability. Maria, Alex, it's never happened to either of you?" They both shook thier heads. Tess turned to Max. "Until now, she's only gotten the flashes with you, right?"

Ever since hearing about Liz's experience, Max had seemed oblivious to the conversation around him. Maria knew that he and Liz had always thought that they had a special connection because of the way they felt about each other. After everything she had been through with Michael she could imagine how it hurt him to know it wasn't true. She didn't want to hurt him more, but she sensed that this could be important. "No." Max snapped back into reality and completely focused on what Maria had to say. "She's also had them with Nasedo. And Michael."

Max's focus switched to Michael. "What's she talking about?"

Michael barely heard the question. His head was spinning with the realization of what Maria had said. He had wanted to find out if Liz could get information from him the way she had with Max but he never really thought it would work. He hadn't thought about the fact that if it did the "stone wall" he had so carefully built around himself would be breached. For the first time in his life he felt vulnerable, naked. He swallowed to ease his suddenly dry throat. "Because of her we were able to find the communicators. That's the most we ever learned. I thought it was worth a shot to see if there was anything else we could find out. I didn't think she saw anything."

Maria spoke softly. "Well, she did."

"It seems that Liz has some talents of her own. Now we just need to figure out what makes her so special."

Tess's voice took Max back to the day Liz had confronted him about kissing Tess. They were standing in the back of the Crashdown when Max had admitted he'd had a flash. Liz had turned to him, the pain of betrayal in her eyes. "I guess I'm not so special after all." He knew it had hurt her, now he knew exactly how she felt. He turned his attention back to the present. "I healed her."

"Healed her of what?"

"There was a shooting at the Crashdown. She got hit by accident."

Tess had been prepared for a broken bone or cut. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. "So you used your powers in a restaurant full of people? That's why Pierce was here. You brought him here just because you couldn't wait for an ambulence to reach your girlfriend?"

"She would have died."

Isabel had never seen her brother so angry. Tess and Max stared at each other, the anger palpable between them. Finally Tess broke away. "Liz has the power to sense our enemies. That's something we might not be able to do. But if she has this power because you healed her, there's somebody else who might be able to do it too."

Maria couldn't help laughing out loud. "You mean Kyle? Have you seen him lately? No way he's gonna help."

Maria quieted down at Tess's seriousness. "It doesn't matter. If it gives us a weapon against our enemies, we have to try."


	9. Chapter 9

Kyle bounced the basketball from one hand to the other and stared the basket. He was tired, he wanted to go home and shower. But he had seen Michael and Max hanging around. He had stayed behind when the rest of his friends had left hoping that they would leave too. That had been a big mistake. It seems they were waiting for him and now he would have to face them alone. Instead of throwing the ball at the net he threw it in his gym bag and walked out to the parking lot.

"We need to talk to you."

"Yeah? Well, I sure don't need to talk to you." Kyle continued towards his truck. It was obvious he wanted nothing to do with them. Max realized that the only opportunity to find anything out was slipping away. He laid his hand on Kyle's shoulder as if to stop him and concentrated on making a connection. Kyle jumped back. "Hey, keep your hands off of me!"

"Kyle, we need your help."

"You must be crazy. You guys are freakin' aliens! The only reason I haven't turned you in is because somehow you've brainwashed Liz and my dad into thinking protecting you is some noble thing. I think you should be dissected in a jar in some government lab somewhere."

Kyle held his basketball up protectively as Michael stepped forward. "Hey, he saved your life."

"Sorry if I haven't said thank you. Now, get the hell away from me."

***********

Two blonde heads turned anxiously as Alex opened the door to Michael's apartment. "It's okay, I'm back safe and sound. No reason to look so worried." Isabel attempted to smile. Tess turned back to the television, her expression one normally directed at the TV only in cases of presidential declarations of war. It made her seem oddly concerned about Lucy messing up Ricky's act. Alex put the fast food tray on the coffee table and settled in the couch between them. "One burger, extra meat, no cheese. Two spicy chicken sandwiches. Three cokes." He shook the bag, then emptied it out on the table. "Oh yeah, and lots of packages of honey and sugar."

Alex watched with amusement as with almost perfect synchronicity the two women drizzled the honey on their sandwiches and the sugar in the soda. As much as he tried to prepare himself mentally for what dating an alien might involve some things still just weirded him out. He tried to put it out of his mind and enjoy his food, but slowly he began to realize that after the initial flurry of activity involved in the preparation of the food in front of her, Isabel had almost completely ignored it. He slipped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. She sighed and relaxed against him. He wanted to be strong for her, to tell her that everything was going to work out. But somehow all the reassurances he could think of only sounded like the hollow promises they were.

This time three worried pairs of eyes greeted Max and Michael as they entered the apartment. Tess rushed to Max. "What happened? Were you able to find out anything?"

Michael picked up Isabel's untouched fries and flopped into the beat-up easy chair. "He wasn't exactly cooperative."

"What does that mean?"

Max shrugged. "I tried, nothing happened."

Tess backed away, shaking her head. "No, it can't be. Wait, Michael didn't know about Liz. Maybe he saw something and just didn't know what it was."

Michael threw the fries back on the table, his appetite suddenly gone. "Look, it doesn't matter. He's not going to help us. What's the big deal?"

"Don't you know?"

Isabel leaned forward. "Know what?"

Max was looking at her now. "Tell us. Everything."

Every piece of information she had meant one more time of Max looking at her, needing her. She was afraid of what would happen when she didn't have anything more to give him. She began reluctantly. "We aren't the only alien hybrids our people created. They sent four guardians with us. Two were our people. They were supposed to be our teachers, but their bodies were weak, and they died in the crash. The other two were our protectors. They were engineered, a mix of our people's DNA and our enemy's, so that they would have the same abilities as our enemies, to be able to be among them undetected. One was killed by the FBI just to see if it could be done. The other was Nasedo. The power to shape-shift, it doesn't come from our people. He gets that from our enemies."

"The scientists that designed us tried to boost our telepathic abilities, to give us the ability to sense the enemy's presence. Nasedo always told me that I should be able to read his thoughts, but I never could. We were convinced that it was just because of the hybridization. We thought when the time came, the powers we needed would surface. But we don't have them." Tess paused, overwhelmed by the hopelessness of the situation. "You saw what Nasedo can do. The people who are after us can do it, too. They can be anyone, anything. And the only person with the power to find them is Liz."


	10. Chapter 10

Humans were disappointingly predictable. They were caught in an endless cycle, the same stimulus never failing to produce the same response, no better that the animals they held themselves so far above. The balding man behind the desk was no exception. He wore the drab olive uniform that made him indistinguishable from countless other men in the compound in hope that conformity of dress might lead to conformity of thought. Yet the bright plumage of ribbons across his chest indicated his social status as clearly as the garish display of a peacock. Even his behavior echoed his primate cousin's. It had been a full two minutes since Nasedo had sat down in front of the desk and the man had yet to acknowledge his presence, instead letting the silence create the atmosphere of intimidation.

The door behind Nasedo opened and closed, and only when the newcomer was settled into his seat did the man behind the desk look up from his work. "Agent Pierce. So nice you could finally join us. Although I suppose after being shot you deserve a couple of days R and R. How is the shoulder?"

Nasedo tried to estimate the proper mix of reverence and arrogance that he was sure the real Pierce would exhibit in this situation. "Fine, Sir."

"Good. Now, I couldn't help but notice that your unit checked in a couple of humvees lighter than you left with. A couple of agents, too. Since you've been so hard to get in touch with the past couple of days I've had my assistant, Johnson here, talking to your men. The story I've heard is very interesting. You went out chasing one alien and now it seems we've found three. Frankly, I'm surprised that you're back here at all."

"Well, General. You seem well informed. You must know that our captive got away."

"Yes, the boy you went after. You said before that you thought he was living with a family there. Did you check them out?"

"Yes, and the only thing I found there was a normal teenager. Several witnesses, including the local sheriff, placed the boy at different locations at the same time. We know these aliens are able to look like anyone, he must have taken the form of this boy to be able to move around town without anyone getting suspicious."

"Any idea why they were in Roswell?"

"No, sir. But based on past experience I don't think they'll be back again."

"Maybe, but I think you should have a man keep an eye out for suspicious events out there, just in case." Nasedo nodded and began to get up to leave when the general spoke again. "You should be proud, Pierce. Nevermind the losses, you're the first head of this unit that's been able to prove that all the money we've spent tracking down the alien we lost to long ago was not a waste. Now that we know there's at least two more our funding should skyrocket. Oh, and I look forward to reading your formal report."

"Yes, sir."

Nasedo could barely contain his disgust as he zigzagged past the people striding purposefully through the stark white hallways. That these creatures, mere infants on the evolutionary scale, could cause him so much trouble by their ignorance and fear, was almost unbearable. He needed to get to his office, were he could be free of the stench of them for a while. When he opened the door to find Pierce's assistant waiting for him it he had to suppress the urge to kill him immediately.

"What do you want?"

"I'm sorry to bother you, sir. You wanted to see the progress on removing the x-ray scanners?"

Finally, some good news. He let the young agent lead him into the bowels of the government complex. He had studied the diagrams of the building and was not surprised that these corridors were not on them. The agent stopped where two men in blue jumpsuits were pulling an electronic device from the wall.

"How far along are they?"

"Almost finished."

"Good." Nasedo watched as the technician removed the x-ray scanner from the security gate.

"Sir, are you sure this is wise?"

Nasedo dismissed the young agent with a quick glance. "Somehow the aliens have figured out how to bypass them. They are an unreliable safeguard, it leads to a false sense of security. And that can be worse than having no defenses at all." It was pitiful, the look of rapt attention on Pierce's assistant's face. As if he thought these words from his superior were the voice of God. It was easy to understand why Pierce had chosen this young man as his assistant. He was ambitious, idealistic, easy to manipulate. There would be no surprises from this one. A couple high level assignments, a promotion every couple years and he would be happily under control.

"Agent Garcia, I want you to brief the men. The labs are reviewing the data to come up with a better system of defense. Until then I want guards posted at every point of access in this complex. From now on everybody works in pairs. Under no circumstances does anyone let his partner out of his sight. If an agent takes a piss, he better be sure his buddy is right beside him. Guard posts will be rotated in threat alpha schedules and all orders are to be verified. Is that understood?"

"Yes, sir."

"Then get on it."

The assistant hurried away, his sense of purpose adding a slight swagger to his gait. Nasedo watched the technicians work for a minute, then slipped through the now open gate to the hallway beyond. He had been able to briefly look around the base in Roswell when rescuing Max and had found what was left of the ship. But there were other items he was interested in, he hoped that they might be here. The first couple doors he tried were unhelpful. Another medical exam room like the one he knew so well in Roswell. A few empty rooms. A janitors closet. Finally he got to a storage room filled with filing cabinets and shelves. Miniature saucer shaped ships, some meteorites, what looked like a hand in a jar of formaldehyde. Each item was tagged with a name and a year. This must be all the paraphernalia the FBI had collected in years of investigating UFO hoaxes. Then he saw something familiar on the top shelf. Small and spheroid, it's inky blackness reflected the dim light in the room perfectly. He picked it up, it's shape nestling naturally in his hand. It was cold, maybe it was damaged in the crash.

"Sir, we're all done out here. We have orders to lock the gate. Should we wait?"

Nasedo quickly slipped the object into his jacket pocket and turned around. He would like to look around more, but it could wait until later. "No, I'm all finished here."


	11. Chapter 11

The Crashdown was quickly becoming a madhouse. Athletic young men were streaming in, roughhousing playfully and jockeying for seats. The traditional dinner at the Crashdown after the first basketball practice of the school year. Maria considered this one of the few perks of working at the Crashdown, but this year instead of oogling the eye-candy her attention was focused on the door. Finally Kyle appeared, pausing hesitantly in the doorway. Maria pushed her drink orders off on Helen and headed straight towards the door. "Kyle, can I talk to you for a minute? Please, it's important."

He looked around the cafe. "Are any of your friends around?"

"No." Maria was glad that she had been able to persuade Michael to trade shifts with Jose. He wouldn't approve of this, and with him here Kyle may not have even walked in the door.

"Is it about them?"

She pushed forward through the swinging doors. "Yes." She held on tightly to his jacket to stop him from heading back out the door. "Kyle, please, just hear me out. Then I promise, if you want you will never have to speak to me, or them, again."

Kyle hesitated, then sat down on the couch.

Maria checked to see that Jose was busy filling orders, then sat down next to Kyle and began speaking quietly. "I know how weird you feel right now. I went through it, too, when I found out. I had nightmares. I didn't want them anywhere near me. But then I began to realize they're scared, too. They have no idea about who they are or where they came from. And they constantly have to hide what they can do, or they'll be caged up like animals for study, or worse."

"Remember in third grade when we had to learn square-dancing, and Bobby Atkins stepped on Isabel's skirt and it ripped off? She ran to the bathroom and refused to come out until her mother came to get her. Or fifth grade play day? Our class was playing tug-of-war with Mr. Lyons class. Michael refused to participate until it was clear our class was going to lose, then he jumped in and after we won he ran around the other kids in the mud screaming like a madman. They haven't changed. They're still the kids you've gone to school with your whole life."

"Look, at the risk of making you feel even more like you've suddenly fallen into a bad 50's alien flick, I have to say that this really could be a matter of life or death. Theirs, and since Max healed you, yours now, too. When Max healed you, he may have changed you. It's very important that they know whether they did or not. And they can't unless you help them. I don't know you that well, but I do know that Liz never would have gotten involved with you if you weren't the kind of person willing to help someone who needed you, no matter who they were. I know this is a lot to adjust to, but at least think about it."

Her peace said, she walked back out to the dining room with Kyle trailing after. She was surprised when the door opened to the sound of clapping and hooting. Somewhere the chant of "Kyle, Kyle" began and it slowly began to grow. She was glad that Kyle seemed just as embarrassed as she was. "I swear, if you tell anybody that we did anything more than talk back there, I'll make sure that what we were talking about will be the last of your worries."

"Relax, they're just having some fun. They know nothing would go on between us."

Maria was confused over whether she felt more offended or relieved by that comment, but quickly forgot about it as Kyle picked her up. Holding her like a baby, he planted a sloppy, dramatic kiss on her cheek. The chanting broke up into whistles and laughter. Maria had learned a few things last year, and knew that there was no use arguing with a pack of hyped-up teenage boys. The best way to get this to blow over was to go along with the joke. She did her best Marilyn Monroe giggle and beauty pageant wave. Quickly tiring of the charade, she turned back to the soda fountain and barely caught a glimpse of Michael through the window before he headed on down the street.


	12. Chapter 12

Michael peered through the peephole in his front door, confirming that the person waiting was exactly the one he didn't want to see. Even through the distortion Maria somehow managed to look slightly angelic in the cheap yellow hallway lights. She must have seen him at the Crashdown and now she was here to confront him about it. He tried to think of what to say. He couldn't admit that he'd been checking up on her, nervous that she had begged him not to come in to work on the day when the whole basketball team happened to be coming in. Oh well, he would let her do the talking. She might have already come to her own conclusion and if it sounded good he could just go along with it. He opened the door and tried to act cool. "Hey."

"Hey. Are you busy?"

He nodded his head toward the kitchen, where Tess was holding her hand over a bag of microwave popcorn. It started to jump and pop, the warm buttery smell filling the air. "We were just getting ready to watch a movie. Why?"

It was clear that Michael was not going to move from the door and invite her in. "I saw you at the Crashdown this afternoon. I know what you saw might have seemed kind of strange. Alex told me that you hadn't had any luck with Kyle, so I thought I'd try talking to him. I'm not sure if it did any good, and of course the whole team saw us alone together and started making a big joke out of it." Her voice ended abruptly, the absence of any response from Michael making her feel self-conscious about even being there. Why did she even bother? She had convinced herself that he might feel jealous or hurt seeing her at the center of so much male attention. Now she realized that was what she wanted to believe he felt. Standing in front of her now, he didn't seem to be bothered at all. She never should have come over.

"So, are you coming in or not?"

As was so often the case when dealing with Michael, she had to pause as the gears in her mind started churning again in the opposite direction. The invitation was unusual, she didn't quite know how to respond. Her instinct was to just go home. Not allow herself to be sucked into the emotional pit that being with Michael always created. But they had talked about starting over, of being friends. And she had to admit that she had been lonely since Liz had left. Alex was too involved with Isabel to be any company, and she had spent too many nights at home with her mom.

"Yeah, I guess so." She tentatively stepped into the apartment as Michael backed up to let her through.

"Good. Then you can chip in a couple of bucks for the pizza."

***********

Tess flipped quickly through the back pages of her Cosmo, rushing past the advertisements to have her love life solved by psychics, not tempted to be a model or just look like one. She had quickly lost interest in the movie that Michael had rented. One of the Star Wars movies. She couldn't believe that everything he rented was either a war or a sci-fi movie. Star Wars, Bladerunner, Dune. You'd think that he'd be getting enough of it in real life. And all the samurai movies, the boy should be fluent in Japanese by now.

She peeked over the top of the magazine to see the credits rolling down the screen. She turned towards Michael to see why he hadn't stopped it yet. She didn't know who had fallen asleep first, but somehow they had ended up snuggled cozily. Michael was leaning back on the couch, Maria's head resting on his chest, gently rising and falling with his breathing. His arm was draped down her side, his hand comfortably nestled in the curve of her waist.

Tess couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy. She'd never experienced that kind of intimacy with anyone. Nasedo didn't seem capable of understanding it. And the guys she'd dated. While they'd been nice, with her telepathic powers it hadn't taken long to figure out that while it may not be true that teenage boys have only one thing on their minds, that one thing certainly had high priority. Letters to penthouse were tame compared to some of the disgusting things she'd seen on the minds of guys who had acted like perfect gentlemen. She'd assumed that when she found Max that he would be different, the fact that they were made for each other giving them an instant connection. It never occurred to her that he wouldn't feel the same.

Afraid that the sudden silence of turning the TV off might disturb them, she turned the TV down and surfed the channels until she found a late-night movie, then headed to her room.

*************

_Michael pauses and looks into the window of the Crashdown. Maria is wiping down tables, the rhythmic swaying of her body enticing him as she leans over to get the back of the booth. She is expecting him. He walks in the door and she turns to him, smiling, her lips moist and red against the smooth whiteness of her teeth._

_"You came." No matter what may happen later, this is how they always start._

_"I always do." He walks toward her as she takes off the silly antenna and undoes her apron. Even after he reaches her he continues moving forward until she is backed up against the counter. Her eyes never leave his until she is crushed against him, her hair tickling his jaw, her breath warm in his ear._

_"Isabel might find out."_

_He smiles as he breathes in the scent of her. His fingers play along the hem of her skirt before sliding under the rough fabric. Her breath quivers as he caresses the warm, sensitive skin of her inner thigh, teasingly brushing against the silky slipperiness of the fabric underneath. Her body arches in response, increasing the pressure of her hips against his. "I don't care."_

_"That's a shame, you really should." Michael whirls around to face Pierce, the real Pierce. "Although I shouldn't be complaining. It does make my job a lot easier."_

_"How did you get in here? How did you get past Valenti?"_

_"Maybe you should ask your girlfriend."_

_As he turns towards Maria, more agents come out of the back, blocking off the exits. "Michael, this is for the best, you'll see. Max means well, but he doesn't know what he's doing. He's leading us all into danger. Pierce is going to help us. It will all be alright."_

_He grabs Maria and shakes her. "How could you do this? Don't you see he's going to kill us all!" He can see in her eyes that she doesn't believe him._

_"I'm afraid that is true." He sees Pierce reach into his jacket and launches himself towards him, but it is already too late. He doesn't feel any pain, just the impact as the bullet hits him._

************

Michael's eyes snapped open to focus on Maria's face, only inches away. The usually enticing fruity smell of her hair suddenly seemed suffocating. He jumped up, the dream still fresh in his mind. Maria, disturbed by his sudden movements, sat up groggily and looked at the clock on the VCR. "Oh, I didn't know it was so late. I must have fallen asleep or something. I better go home before my mom gets worried." She looked up to see Michael staring at her and tried to brush out her hair with her fingers. "What? I didn't get bed-head or something, did I?" She stood up and tried to see herself in the window. She thought she looked okay, but when she turned around Michael was still staring at her. "Michael, Hello? Is something wrong?"

Finally he seemed to shake the trance he was in. "No, nothing. You know, it's kind of late. Your mom might be worried about you, you better get home."

Maria just shook her head condescendingly, smiling slightly at Michael's odd behavior. "Yeah, that might be a good idea."


	13. Chapter 13

Max had had the dream again. Now he sat awake with the same knot in his stomach it always gave him. But this time, as he fought his way towards the Crashdown frantically seeking Liz, something had been different. The people, they had changed. Liz and Michael, too. But only for a second, almost like a strobe light was shining on them.

For a minute he thought he might still be dreaming as the room lit up, then he heard the crash and for the first time noticed the storm outside. That's what had happened. The lightening had gotten into his dream. But the way they had looked, not brighter, different. They had looked the way Nasedo had when they were healing him with the stones, the power restoring him momentarily to his true, alien shape. Maybe that had just worked its way into the dream as well.

The lightening flashed again, startling Max with the image of a figure outside his window. He tried to clear his mind of the feelings left by the dream as he walked over to answer the familiar knocking. Michael slid in the window, his wet clothing releasing a spattering of droplets on the floor with every movement.

"I need to go to the pod chamber."

"Right now? It's raining."

"Yeah, I noticed. But it needs to be now." Michael bristled at Max's hesitation. "If you won't take me, I'll see if I can get the Jetta."

"You won't get a mile off the freeway. What about your new friend, Tess? She's living in your apartment, won't she help you?"

For some reason he really didn't want to feel like he owed Tess anything. "Are you going to take me, or should I go wake up Maria?" Part of him dared Max to say no, wanting to see if he stood in the rain outside her window whether Maria would still let him in. But knowing if she did he might forget all about the pod chamber.

Max threw some dry clothes at Michael. "Put these on. You can dry your clothes on the way there."

**********

Philip Evans rubbed his eyes, trying to make the computer screen come back into focus. This brief needed to be ready for filing in Eddy county Friday. It was a big case, a successful trial would mean a lot of publicity for his firm. And a lot of stress for him.

He must be getting tired. He thought he heard something on the roof. But there it was again. Probably a branch blowing in the wind. He pushed aside the curtain to see two figures climbing down the porch railing. He grabbed the phone, fingers poised to call the police. He looked out again to see the men heading towards Max's jeep. The lightening flashed, allowing him to see the intruders clearly. He set the phone down, a smile on his face, remembering his own teenage escapades. Still, he knew he couldn't just let this slide by.

**********

Max ran his hand over the slick stone and hurried through the entrance that appeared. Silence enveloped them as they stepped inside, the thick walls shutting out the roar of the storm. The air was musty and cool even on the hot September night. It took a minute for their eyes to adjust to the darkness. There was no warm glow from the pods this time. Michael ran his hand over the weird organic formation hoping for some response. He had anxiously been waiting for another thunderstorm, like Frankenstein, hoping that the electric charge in the air might breathe some life into this dead material. Finally he stepped back, thankful for the darkness that prevented Max from seeing his disappointment. But he suspected Max had already guessed the reason behind his need to come here. Max said nothing as he tentatively touched the soft pulp of the pods, then followed Michael back out into the rain.

**********

Max undid the deadbolt on the door as quietly as possible then stopped in the entryway. He bent down to dry his shoes so the rubber soles wouldn't squeak on the kitchen floor.

"Don't bother trying to sneak in. I think you're already caught." Philip switched on the light. "So what exactly was so important that you had to sneak out in the middle of the night, in the rain?"

Max quickly moved to the opposite side of the kitchen island, hoping his dad wouldn't notice his dry shoes. "Uh, Michael needed some help with his homework."

"Uh-huh. I saw you both leave. If he had already come all the way over, why didn't you just do it here?"

"He forgot the book at his apartment."

Philip fixed his son with a look that let him know his story was being run through the bullshit detector. "Well, next time, tell somebody where you're going or leave a note. And use the door for Christ's sake. I don't want your Mom going out to get the paper and finding you on the front lawn with two broken legs."

Max nodded. "Right."

"And I better not hear about any acts of vandalism or juvenile delinquency or I'm holding you personally responsible." He stared Max in the eye until he was sure that his point was made. "Now, go to bed. I don't want you too tired for school tomorrow."

He watched his son go up the stairs then headed back to his computer. He tried to continue working but his thoughts kept drifting. Something about tonight just didn't seem right. He and Diane had realized early on that Max and Isabel liked their space. They had never been strict parents, willing to let the kids set their own rules as long as their schoolwork or family life didn't suffer. There was no reason for Max to be sneaking around. Especially not climbing on the roof in the rain. He thought about Michael. He had a rough time, but he seemed to be a good kid. Still, Philip didn't know much about him. And now he was living on his own. Diane said the kids spent a lot of time over there, even staying there some nights. He looked at his computer again. Sometimes he wondered if he had sacrificed too much time with his family for his work. Soon, Max and Is would be off to college and out on their own. Did he really know them as well as he should? He realized that he wasn't going to get any more work done tonight and went to bed.

**********

Liz could feel her skin burning as she stood listening to the guide talk about the Indian ruins located somewhere in front of her. Or tried to listen. She was in the back and could barely hear the guide above the buzzing of the cicadas in the cottonwoods around her. It didn't matter anyway. Her family had been coming to Bandelier almost every summer for as long as she could remember. It had stopped being interesting for her long ago. The only reason she was here today was because Sierra, her friend in the lab down the hall, had convinced her that the field trip held for the student interns would be fun.

She looked around for her friend and saw her by the stream in the shade of the cottonwoods motioning Liz over. Liz slipped away from the group and joined her. The cool moistness of the shade felt good. Liz wanted to collapse on the picnic bench but could tell that Sierra was eager to keep moving. "Come on, Liz. Let's skip the history lesson. There's a hiking trail up ahead. Let's go see where it goes."

Liz wanted to object but Sierra was already setting a fast pace up the trail. It had taken Liz a while to adjust to the higher altitude, she still wasn't in great shape for mountain hiking. It wasn't something there was much opportunity to do in Roswell. Sierra, born and raised in Colorado Springs, obviously didn't have the same problem. Sierra slowed down to a pace that Liz could keep up with. They hiked in silence until Sierra stopped and surveyed the steep valley wall above the trail. Sierra waited as Liz caught her breath, then pointed above Liz's head. "There's a cave up there. Let's go check it out."

"I don't think that we're supposed to leave the trail. Besides, it's an awfully long way up."

"Where's your sense of adventure?" Sierra scrambled up the slope face, loosening a rain of gravel that bounced down towards Liz. Liz groaned, then followed her up. Liz reached the top then turned to look over the valley. She could see why the Indians had settled here so long ago. The cottonwoods were just turning and glowed in hues of green and gold under the azure sky. "Hey, Liz! Come look at this!" Sierra's voice echoed from inside the cave. Liz could feel the air temperature decrease as she was swallowed into the darkness.

She could barely make out Sierra at the back of the cave. As she fumbled her way in her eyes slowly adjusted. Sierra was looking at symbols painted on the wall of the cave. Some wavy squiggles, some odd triangles, a dot with spiral arms around it. Liz let out a gasp.

"Liz, what's wrong?"

She had seen these symbols before, in another cave hundreds of miles away. These were the same symbols that Riverdog had shown Max on the reservation. "You know, this place is probably some kind of important archeological site. This is federal land, we might be in some kind of trouble being here. Or worse this might be some kind of sacred Indian land. I had some friends on the reservation near Roswell, I learned to really respect their sacred areas. I just think we should get out of here."

Sierra took another look around the small chamber. "I guess you're right. There's nothing else interesting in here anyway." Liz watched Sierra move out into the sunlight. Liz gingerly ran her hand over the cool stone, her heart aching at the unexpected reminder of Max. She sighed and followed Sierra out into the sunlight.

***********

Max tried to ignore the phone and concentrate on his calculus homework, hoping that Isabel would get it. It wasn't until the third ring that he remembered that she was at the movies with Alex. Not really wanted to talk to anyone, he let the machine pick it up.

"Hi…Um, This is Liz…"

"Liz?" The machine screech noisily as Max picked up the phone. He fumbled to turn it off. "Liz? Are you still there?"

"Max. Hey." He could tell that she had been prepared to leave a message and was suddenly uncomfortable about having to talk to him directly. "How are you? I mean, you know, how's school going?"

"Okay. Except Biology. I can't seem to find a good lab partner this year." He had tried to sound light, but failed miserably. There was only silence for a minute.

"Max, I was up at Bandelier monument today. I found something I think you should see."


	14. Chapter 14

Overall, this was turning out to be quite an incredible day for Maria. First of all, for once she had a Saturday that she wasn't working the breakfast shift at the Crashdown and instead of sleeping in then spending the morning lounging around in her pajamas she had still gotten up at 7 a.m. so she could get ready for the five hour drive to Los Alamos.

The second incredible thing was her driving companion for the trip, Tess. It was a good thing in that Tess having her own car meant that Maria wouldn't have to take the Jetta away from her mother or risk more damage from elite government forces, but it also meant that someone would actually have to sit next to Tess for long periods of time. And today it was her. Okay, Alex and Isabel were there, too. But in the back seat. She had tried talking to them at first, but they all felt kind of awkward talking like normal around Tess and had eventually just settled into an uncomfortable silence. So they drove through the boring grasslands, each keeping to their own thoughts. Only occasionally over the radio would she hear the murmur as Alex and Isabel talked softly to each other.

Somehow, in the silence, the most incredible thing so far had happened. She actually started to feel sorry for Tess. She had just been staring at Max's jeep in front of them thinking about all that had happened in the past couple of months and began to realize that she and Tess were kind of similar in a weird way. With Liz gone and trying to keep at least an emotional distance from Michael, Maria had really begun to feel a little isolated from the whole 'where did we come from' thing. It seemed like the only real meaning it had for her anymore was that it was important to them, and they were her friends.

Tess's situation was almost the exact opposite. She had finally found the three other people on the planet who were just like her and with them was starting to figure out the mystery of her purpose here. But that was about the only reason she was here. Everyone was still walking on eggshells around her, still too full of doubt and mistrust to have formed any kind of friendship. In a way they were both outsiders, a degree removed from the bonds that held the rest of them together.

The highway sign announcing Vaughn was 30 miles away sped past the window. The trip still wasn't even halfway over and it suddenly seemed far too long to spend sitting quietly.

"So Tess, I heard you got a job at the Roswell Boutique. How do you like it?"

**********

Max was absolutely going crazy. He had barely thought all day about the fact that he was soon going to see Liz again. It was kind of like being six on Christmas Eve and not thinking about Santa Claus, but somehow he'd managed it. He'd thought that driving here would've been the hard part. Alone in the jeep for hours with only Michael for company, he was sure he'd be thinking about Liz constantly. But instead he'd been able to get into a kind of driving trance, succumbing to the mind-numbing relentlessness of the thin black line cutting through the broad vistas out the front windshield. He knew that he and Michael had talked on the way up, but about what he couldn't remember. Then they had arrived at Bandelier and had a few mundane distractions. Picking a campsite, finding a parking space. But now there was nothing left to do but wait while the others picked up Liz. Nothing to think about except that Liz would soon be there.

His mind, freed from the forced inactivity, was running at double time, churning up all the thoughts he had been trying to escape. Their conversation on the phone had been so short he didn't get a sense of what Liz was feeling. Would they be able talk to each other like friends? Would she try to avoid him? Had she met someone else? Would he be able to be so close to her for so long without touching her hand, without pulling her close?

Luckily he was rescued from the course his thoughts were taking when he thought he saw Tess's car come down the drive. Instead the car only contained some irritated children and their tired parents. But the sight gave Max a stab of panic. Why had they decided to have Tess pick up Liz? They had thought that it might make Liz's aunt and uncle feel better to see a bunch of girls, but what if Liz saw Tess's car and decided not to come?

He had to stop thinking about it. "I'm going to check out the visitor's center."

Michael had the jeep seat leaning as far back as it could go. He peeked out from under the arm he had draped across his eyes blocking out the sun. "Knock yourself out."

The gift shop was full of the standard Indian souvenirs, nothing Max hadn't already seen in every other tourist trap in New Mexico. He perused the snack bar menu with disinterest before heading into the museum. He walked past the dark alcove where a movie was playing and instead wandered through the displays. Clay people scrambled over stone walls gathering food and greeting neighbors in the miniature village in the case in the middle of the room. Artifacts were shown along faded pictures of turn of the century Navajos. Sometimes there was just an empty niche with a placard explaining the item had been returned to the tribe. He walked along the back wall that was lined with different styles of pottery. He was about to turn away when a small bowl in the corner caught his eye. The bold black design was the symbol from his vision in the pod chamber.

One of the rangers must have noticed Max's interest because he walked over to stand next to him. "Hello, young man. Can I answer any questions for you?"

"Yeah. This bowl, does the pattern on it have any kind of meaning?"

"Well, the broken circle is pretty common in Native American artwork. They sometimes leave a hole or interruption in the pattern to allow any spirits that might have been caught in the making a way out. But this triangle design is unique to the Anasazi."

"Anasazi?"

"That's the pueblo Indian word for the people who lived here. Roughly translated it means 'ancient enemy.'" He waited while Max absorbed this information. "Is there anything else I can help you with?"

"Uh, no. Thanks."

"If you are interested in finding out more, there's a pretty good video over there. It repeats every 15 minutes. And we have lots of good books on Native American design in the bookstore."

"Yeah? I'll be sure to check it out."

The ranger moved on to the next family and Max continued through the ranger station towards the door back out to the parking lot. He could see that Tess had arrived and pulled into the parking space next to the jeep. Then, as he stood watching, the back door opened and Liz stepped out and looked uncertainly around the parking lot.

* * *

Michael paused to wipe away the sweat that was stinging his eyes. He hated this time of year, cold in the morning and evening but blazing hot in the middle of the day. He almost wished he had varied his normal outfit of black jeans and dark tee shirt until he looked again at Alex's baggy shorts and remembered why he didn't. "Liz, are you sure that we're going in the right direction?"

Liz turned around slowly, carefully taking in her surroundings. "Yeah. I mean, I think so."

"I'm just asking because we just left Bandelier." They all looked to where he pointed at the yellow sign stating that they were leaving monument land and were entering federally protected forest. It was attached to a barbed wire fence that had been pushed down to allow the path to go through.

"Oh, I didn't notice that before. We were going pretty fast." Liz noticed Max's look when she said we. "I was really just following Sierra. But I haven't seen any other way to go, so this must be it. I don't think it's too much further."

Isabel had taken the opportunity to sit down while Liz and Michael were talking. "God, I hope so." This was not her idea of a good way to spend an afternoon.

As they continued down the trail Liz thought she began to recognize the area where Sierra had waited for her. Then she noticed the footprints in the gravel above the trail. "I think this is it. Yeah, there it is."

It was a hard scramble up but soon they were all in the cave. It seemed much smaller to Liz now with so many people crammed in it. She moved to the mouth where Maria had hung back to allow the rest to get a better look. Isabel concentrated hard on the symbols as if they might magically start to make sense. But of course they stayed the same, unintelligible yet familiar. "Well, this is great. More little drawings that tell us absolutely nothing."

"But look at this." Michael pointed to one of the figures. "This is the symbol from your pendant, but it's flatter and kinda sharper. And these five were ones that Nasedo left in the cave, but the rest are new."

Isabel didn't get why that was so interesting. "But we still aren't any closer to knowing what they mean. What are you doing?"

Tess had walked up next to Michael and was waving her hand over the symbols. "I'm looking for a trigger, like the one for the pod chamber." She got to the end of the writing and continued on down the wall. "It could be anywhere." They all waited expectantly until Tess had explored every surface of the cave then turned around with a shrug. "I guess not. So what now?"

"I think we should go back and set up camp." Max said. "Then tomorrow we'll see if we can find anything else."

*******************

Alex stood back to admire their accomplishment. It had taken awhile but he and Michael had finally gotten the tent up right. He hoped. He clapped Michael on the back. "See, no problem." Michael looked at him, then headed over to the jeep to get the sleeping bags. "Okay, maybe it shouldn't have taken 45 minutes, but you weren't exactly a tent expert, either."

He ignored Michael's response and tried again to get the rain fly to stretch to the last hook. He heard some rustling behind him and peeked into the girls' tent where Isabel was struggling with her sleeping bag zipper. He crawled in next to her. "Let me give you a hand with that, little lady. This looks like a job for a real outdoor man."

She handed it to him with a smirk. "Know any?"

"You know, it's going to get pretty chilly tonight. I think I remember from my boy scout days that one of the best ways to stay warm is to share body heat. You might be warmer if you zip it together with someone else's."

"Is that right?" She acted like she was considering it. "I'll bring it up with Liz and Maria."

"Not the response I was looking for." His smile was mischievous. "But it gives me a mental image that does kinda warm me up."

Isabel glared at him. "Shut up."

"You gonna make me?"

"Maybe." She leaned back, pulling Alex with her. The air had started to get chilly, but she was nice and warm where his body rested against hers. He smoothed her hair so it fanned out over her pillow, then brushed his hand against her face and down her neck. His eyes were clear blue like the sky or a swimming pool and made her think of warm summer days. She smiled and hooked her fingers in his hair and pulled his face down to hers. His lips were cold but his breath warm and gentle on her face. She felt his hand tighten around her waist and gave in to the relaxing feeling of just being alone with him, not thinking about anything but the sensations. She tenderly bit at his bottom lip and was answered with a gentle lick to the sensitive flesh just inside her lips. Instead of tickling like usual, she was suddenly aware of an acrid metallic taste in her mouth, then a queasy feeling in her stomach. She pushed Alex aside and sat up.

Alex rolled over and groaned, then noticed the look on Isabel's face. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. I just don't feel too good. I'm not used to hiking, and with the long car ride, my stomach's a little upset."

"Maybe you're just hungry. Let's go see how Max is doing getting the fire started."

Isabel laughed. "I think he can manage." Alex grabbed her hand and helped her stand up.

"Without the awesome powers of Outdoor Man? I don't think so."

*******************

Max crouched over the fire-pit, his arm outstretched, gazing intently at the pile of kindling. It sputtered and smoked, then blazed up as he quickly pulled his hand away. It didn't even seem odd to Liz. To her that's just what Max was inside, all light and heat. It seemed natural that he should transfer it to everything he touched. Just like when he touched her.

She shouldn't think about that.

Maria and Tess were unloading the back of Tess's SUV, talking easily as they planned what they should do next. Liz hadn't expected to see that. She and Maria were best friends, that wasn't in question. They had hung back from the rest on the hike back and completely filled in each other on everything that had happened since Liz had left and Maria had explained that she'd talked with Tess on the way up and they were getting along pretty well. Tess belonged there, it was good that someone was connecting with her. But Liz couldn't help but feel a little betrayed. If someone was going to be Tess's friend shouldn't it be Isabel or Michael? Tess had already come between her and Max, did she have to have Maria, too?

Liz immediately felt guilty for her thoughts. Tess hadn't ended her relationship with Max, she had. And in her effort to get away she had left Maria alone and now was upset that she had found someone else she could talk to. She tried to force the logic on herself but couldn't stop the feeling that her life was in shambles and she couldn't see a way to get out of it.

She heard the soft crunch of pine needles and looked up to see Max stopped a few feet away. She had known she wouldn't be able to avoid talking to him the whole trip. She tried to push the sadness away and act normal. "Max?"

"Mind if I sit down?" She slowly exhaled, trying to calm the butterflies in her stomach as he sat down on the picnic bench next to her. "So, how are things going at the Labs?"

"Good. The people I work with are really nice, and I'm learning a lot. I've been working in the gene-sequencing lab, just what I always wanted to do. Did you know that they're really close to having the whole human genome decoded? It's really exciting to know that I'm able to be a part of it, if even in a small way."

"Sounds a lot more interesting than biology class."

"Yeah, the kind of thing you someday tell your kids, 'I was there when.'" She immediately felt embarrassed talking about having kids in front of him. She wondered if in the exchange of thoughts he had ever seen her fantasies about their life together, what their wedding would be like, what their kids would look like. She felt her cheeks getting hot. She forced herself to look at him, not let on that what she'd said had any meaning for her. But she knew as soon as she saw the light in his eyes that she had no secrets from him. "Maybe talking is really a bad thing to do."

He stopped her before she was able to get up and walk away. "Why, because you can't ignore the connection between us? Did you really think that it would go away just because you put a couple hundred miles between us? It could be a thousand miles, a million miles, it wouldn't matter. What I feel for you is not going to just go away. I love you."

"I know. I love you, too. But sometimes that's just not enough."

***********

They started out early the next morning, wanting to explore as much of the area as possible in the coolness of the morning. Michael was glad they had to decided to split up, he wanted to go back to the cave to examine the symbols longer and really didn't want any company. The morning sunlight hadn't penetrated the opening yet making it much darker and colder than it had been yesterday. He sat down in the soft, fine dirt, pulled out his sketchbook and began copying the symbols in meticulous detail. He wanted to be sure that it got everything exactly the way it was on the wall, the curves, the size, their exact relation to each other. Several pages were begun and discarded until he was satisfied that he had it right.

He put the sketchbook away and pulled out the book of Indian designs he had bought in the gift store and began comparing them with the ones on the wall. The styles were kind of similar, but the Indians were all fairly simple ideas and easy to figure out from the drawings. Thunderclouds, corn, sun, night, day, they all pretty much looked like what they were. He thought he had something when he saw the squiggly lines that represented water, but looking more closely realized the symbol on the wall was much different. He threw the book down. Maybe if he just concentrated. He tried to clear his mind, hoping that if the meanings were buried in his mind somewhere they might surface if he just relaxed.

Frustrated after a few minutes, he stood up and began pacing around the cave. It was almost time to meet the others. If he was going to figure this out it had to be now. He walked closer to the symbols. One in particular seemed to stand out. An x with one long crooked arm. It made him think of a pirate of something, drawing an x to mark the spot then just suddenly getting goofy and adding a big flourish at the last minute. Except that it was obviously done on purpose, the grooves were so deep and smooth, like it had been stamped there.

He reached out to feel the smoothness of the rock, but as his hand made contact his mind was flooded with images. A massive stone formation. A dark room empty of anything but a chair rising up from the material of the floor. More symbols chiseled into a smooth surface lit from behind with a fiery intensity. The earth from space with spider-webs of light appearing at the poles, then growing out towards the equator and finally shooting out towards space with blinding brightness.

The images faded and Michael knew what he had to do. He grabbed his binoculars and climbed the rest of the way above the cave to the top of the mesa. He could see all around him for miles. He turned his back to the mountain range rising to the north a began scanning the valleys that dropped away in front of him to the south until he saw it, a pinnacle of white rock standing alone at the end of a ridge.


	15. Chapter 15

"Michael, Watch it!"

In response to Isabel's reprimand Michael quickly righted the bottle he had knocked over in his haste to spread the map out. She dabbed at the spots of Tabasco on her jeans, and they disappeared as the napkin passed over them. "Some of us are still eating."

Michael continued flattening out the map. "I got this at the ranger station. See this x? I think that's the peak I saw. It looks like this dirt road goes right past it, only about fifteen miles from the freeway. I think we should go check it out."

"We don't have time." Max argued. "We'll be getting back late enough already after going to the cave."

"We don't need to go back to the cave. I already checked it out, there's nothing there." Michael knew he didn't always have the best control over his powers but he was really getting annoyed by how the others treated him. Every time he wanted to do anything he always had to have Max there backing him up. And anything he managed to do was held in suspicion. Like when he had found Atherton's place. "You're right, we don't have much time. I would rather spend it going where I know there's something than wasting more time here."

Tess was quick to jump in the conversation. "I think Michael's right. We should see what's there."

It would be another two months before Max saw Liz again, he didn't want to cut it shorter than it had to be. But he realized that he had no argument for keeping them all there. He wanted to talk to Liz again and it looked like it would have to be now. "I'll go tell Maria and Liz."

Maria and Liz sat quietly in the corner, both trying to pretend that their attention was not on the table across the room.

"Ugh! They call this food!" Maria stabbed at her salad with disgust. "For five bucks you think they could afford some carrots or cucumbers, or something. Look at this lettuce, it's practically brown."

Liz only gazed across the room, absentmindedly stirring her ketchup with a French fry. Then her attention came back to the current moment. "You know, Maria, I think you're right. Michael has been acting kind of weird. I don't think I've seen him look at you once the whole time we've been here."

This was not exactly the conversation that Maria wanted to have, but it was better than sitting in silence. "I wouldn't say he's acting weird. That implies some kind of baseline normal, which with Michael has never been the case." She sighed and threw her napkin over the half eaten salad. "What gets me is it seems like it was going well, at least for a little while. I mean, we had some ice cream, watched a movie, then suddenly it's like I don't even exist."

"Well, maybe it's better this way. Maybe it will make it easier for you to move on." She knew that Maria wasn't going to believe that, especially from her.

"Yeah, right." Maria glanced over at the table where everybody else was and saw that Max had gotten up and was walking toward them. "Looks like the Czechoslovakian council is over. Hey, Max. What's up?"

"We've decided to go check out this thing Michael found. We're going to leave as soon as everybody's done eating."

Maria sensed that Max hadn't come over just to tell them that. "Good, then I still have a few minutes to check out the gift store."

Liz looked at Maria, trying to get her to stay, but Maria just tilted her head meaningfully at Max and walked away. She was alone again with Max and unsure what to do. Max slid into the chair Maria had just vacated and pushed the unfinished salad aside. He stared at the empty table until Liz started to wonder if he was going to say anything at all. Then his eyes met hers and nothing else mattered. It was just him and her and everything else seemed to melt away. Liz felt that if she could just stay in this moment with Max so close and the rest of the world so far it would be all she would ever need. But as much as she wanted to hold onto it, time continued and the world came rushing back.

"So, do you know when you're going to be coming back to Roswell?"

"Um, yeah. Right before Christmas."

He was quiet again for a minute. "Liz, I want things to be okay between us when you come back. I don't want to have to avoid you or have you run away if I happen to be in the same hallway."

She had spent all this time trying not to think about Max, she hadn't thought ahead to being in Roswell again. But she had to face it eventually. "I know. I don't want that either. I just want everything to be the way it was before..." She couldn't finish the sentence. She didn't want things to be like they were before Max had healed her. As much as it hurt her now she knew she would never give up the time they had had together for anything.

"Liz, if what happened that day at the Crashdown...hadn't, do you think we ever would have been more than lab partners?"

"Would you have let us?"

Max didn't have to answer. If he had ever wanted to tell Liz how he felt about her before, he had Michael and Isabel there to talk him out of it. It was only by acting without thought that had given him the most important day of his life. He wanted to tell her that he was glad she had been shot, that being forced to let her in on his secret was the best thing that ever happened to him and he wasn't going to just let that slip away. He wanted to tell her a lot of things. But Michael was waiting for him by the door, eager to leave. He managed an awkward good-bye and left.

***********

The small peak was cone-shaped, formed as the ground around a large boulder had eroded away over the centuries leaving the rock hanging precariously, as if it could roll down at any moment. They had been over it several times, trying to find anything unusual in the smooth surface to indicate that it might be hiding something inside besides more rock. So far they hadn't, and not knowing what else to do Max joined Isabel and Alex in the jeep where they had been sitting ever since giving up on the search themselves. Alex was sprawled out in the back-seat with his eyes closed and headphones on full blast. Isabel had been taking the opportunity to get some studying done for class on Monday but she closed her book when Max sat down in the driver's seat next to her. She hadn't seen him looking so tired since they had rescued him from Pierce.

"Max, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Don't tell me that. I'm your sister. I heard you up walking around last night, just like I hear you up all night at home. What's going on?"

"Nothing, I guess I'm just having trouble sleeping." Isabel just continued to look at him and he knew she wouldn't just let him blow it off. "I've been having this dream. Every time I close my eyes it's the same thing. The FBI are in Roswell. I run to save Michael and Liz, but I get there just in time to see them both killed."

"It's just a dream. You're probably still just messed up from what Pierce did to you. It will go away."

"It's never 'just a dream' for us, is it? I started having the dream right after I had the vision in the pod chamber. I think somehow the pods gave me the dream. I think it's a warning."

"About what?"

"I don't know."

**********

Tess had tried everything she could think of and still hadn't gotten anywhere. Living with Michael had been so strained lately, she really wanted to be able to show him that she could help him but she didn't know what else she could do.

"Michael, there's nothing here."

"There has to be."

"Maybe it's the wrong place."

"No!" This was the place he had seen, he was sure of it. There was something here and he was going to find it. He put his hand on the smooth wall of stone and cleared his mind of everything but the desire to get through it. For a minute nothing happened, then he felt a surge of power growing within him. He had never felt anything like it before. He let it grow until it felt like it was almost too much to control, then directed it forward. The rock cracked with a thunderous roar, then fell away.

Max, Isabel, Alex and Maria heard the noise and came over to see what had happened. Where the rock had been was a black sheet, like a mirror of polished obsidian. Michael hesitated, then put up his hand again and as he touched the sheet it slid away.

"Great. Another cave." Maria said.

Michael ignored her and looked from Max to Isabel, then turned towards the opening and walked in. The inside was like the outside, shiny and black. The only light was the sunlight from outside glinting off the walls. The space was almost a perfect dome except for one area of flat wall on the far side. As Michael got closer he could see a ledge in the middle of the wall covered with the symbols he had seen in his vision.

Isabel stood in the middle of the chamber and looked around. "Okay. We found it. Now what is it?"

The ridges of the symbols were sharp and cold under Michael's hand. "I don't know. Did Nasedo ever say anything about this?"

Tess shook her head. "No. But he never really told me too much about anything."

"Well, then maybe it's about time we get him back here and have him explain a few things."

**********

Nasedo walked to his car followed by the sound of his footsteps echoing through the parking garage. All day he spent in the company of men whose job it was to find and destroy him, but the only part of the day he didn't like was the walk to the car. He was designed to be a protector, a sense of paranoia deeply ingrained in him. His mind was always searching where he was for the best way to escape, the best place to make a stand if attacked. He hoped he never had to defend himself here. The lights were too dim, the floor uneven, there were too many turns and obstructions. If he ever came close to the human feeling of vulnerability, it was here.

The footsteps stopped as he paused to unlock the door, but the quiet was broken by a familiar rattle from somewhere behind him. His senses, already heightened by the insecurity of the environment, went on full alert. He knew the sound, and what it meant. He searched for its source, his body tensing for a fight. Then a man emerged from behind a concrete column.

"Agent Pierce. So nice to see you." He tapped a small plastic container against his palm. "Tic-tac?"


	16. Chapter 16

It was a slow afternoon at the Crashdown. Maria leaned against the counter, idly flipping through the newspaper that Mr. Parker brought in for the customers. Times like these were when she missed Liz the most.

If Liz were here they would be using this time to catch up on the latest school gossip or make up stories about what they would be doing if they could be anywhere but here. It was one of their favorite slow time activities and had lead to a lot of interesting conversations. She could try the same thing with Liz's replacement, Helen, but didn't think it would be as interesting. Somehow she knew all of Helen's stories would include no-good ex-husbands and the sorry state of child care in Roswell. She was so bored and lonely she was actually glad to see Kyle walk in, thinking he would at least be good for a few minutes entertainment.

"Hey." He slid into the stool across from her.

"Hey. Can I get you something?" He shook his head. "What's up?"

He fidgeted nervously. "Coach told me today that I'm starting in our game against Hobbs this Saturday."

Maria was bored, but not bored enough to talk about basketball. "Congratulations." She turned back to reading the horoscope.

"No, you don't understand. When I fell last season I hurt my ankle pretty bad. Coach has been keeping me on the bench, worried that it if I hurt it again there might be a serious problem. Up until last week they were talking like I might actually need an operation. Then I went to my doctor. Now he says it's better. Like it never even happened."

"Well, that's good, isn't it?"

"But what if it's because of..." He lowered his voice conspiratorially even though the only other people in the cafe were all the way across the room. "Because of what Max did to me. I mean, a lot of things can happen on the court. How is it going to look if I get bruised or cut up in practice and it's gone the next day? Or worse, what if it disappears in a game with everybody there watching?"

She couldn't help but give him a hard time. She brought her head close to his and whispered over-dramatically. "What if it does?"

"I need to know what they've done to me."

"Well, then, it looks like your timing is perfect." The door opened and Isabel and Alex walked in. "Go talk to Isabel."

For someone who always acted like such a tough guy, it was funny to see him being such a wimp about talking to a girl. Although considering who the girl was and what they knew about her, Maria couldn't really blame him. She walked around the counter, grabbed his jacket, and pulled him with her to the booth where they were sitting. "Isabel, someone wants to talk to you."

Kyle stood by the booth, looking as if at any moment he might bolt out the door, but finally slid slowly into the booth next to Alex. He spoke haltingly, never letting his eyes rest too long on Isabel. "Maria said that you...well, Max actually...may have done something to change me. I need to know if it's true."

Kyle's behavior set Isabel on edge immediately. The way he was acting was exactly the reason why she had tried so hard to fit in, to be normal. She didn't want to be an alien, didn't want to be caught by the FBI, and didn't want to be treated like a circus freak. She felt her old defense mechanisms coming to life again but tried to control them. This was a job that had to be done. She had to put her feelings aside for all their sakes. "Okay, let's go in back."

"No!" Kyle looked frightened. "I mean, I would rather be out here. In public."

This was getting on Isabel's nerves quick. More than anything she wanted to do something to completely scare him, like she had at first with Maria. She wouldn't get away with much here with Alex and Maria watching, but thought maybe tonight was time for another dream-walk.

"Give me your hand." He grudgingly complied. "Okay, now close your eyes and just concentrate." She closed her own eyes and pushed aside her frustrations of the moment and tried to concentrate on opening her mind up to Kyle. The images started coming. Boy Scouts, Little league, riding bikes around the police station. She tried to just skim the surface, not wanting to find out too much about Kyle, especially not anything to affect her revenge plans. But it popped up anyway. Kyle, seven years old, dressed in his best Sunday clothes sitting quietly on the uncomfortable wooden bench as the judge talked seriously about Mr. and Mrs. Valenti. He knows that after today everything will be different, after today only one of his parents will be around. He wonders if it will be his father, dependable but hardly home, or his mother, capricious, so unhappy with small town life, so much a child still herself. He clings tighter to his father's hand.

That was long enough. Isabel dropped Kyle's hand, breaking the connection. "You can open your eyes now." Kyle looked at his hand, as if expecting that she had changed it somehow. "Did you see anything?"

"What?" Kyle looked at her, confused.

"Did you see anything? Any kind of visions or images or anything like that?"

"No."

"Then I think you're still the same old Kyle Valenti. Sorry."

"Wait, that's it?"

Isabel set her hand down on the table by a puddle of spilled coke. It began to sputter and bounce around as if on a hot plate before drying up. "Do you want me to do something else?"

Kyle quickly stood up again. "No, that's okay."

"All right then." Kyle hurried towards the door, obviously anxious to be out of this situation. Isabel was glad to see him go, although now she had Maria and Alex looking at her like parents of a two year old that had just thrown a tantrum.

"Was that really necessary?" Alex asked, sounding more like her father than her boyfriend.

"No, but I thought it added something to the conversation."

Maria shook her head. "Let me tell you from experience, when you do stuff like that it really doesn't help make people not want to turn you into the authorities."

Isabel shrugged. "He already thinks we're monsters anyway. I don't think it hurts for him to be a little scared of what we can do to him."

"Do to who?" Max asked as he, Michael and Tess joined Isabel and Alex at the booth.

"Oh, we just had an interesting encounter with Kyle." Isabel explained.

"Yeah, he wanted to help and Isabel used her hocus-pocus to basically threaten him."

Isabel looked at Maria with amusement. "Hocus-pocus?"

"Isabel-"

"Spare me the lecture, Max. I already got the message from Alex and Maria."

"What happened?" Tess had been asking Isabel, but it was Max that answered.

"Nothing."

"How do you know?"

"Because I've been thinking about it, and I realized that it wasn't healing Liz that changed her. It was something else. Something I did." Knowing Max and Liz's relationship nobody wanted to ask what he did to her, so they just waited, hoping it was something he could explain. "Right after the shooting, I wasn't sure how Liz was going to take what had happened. I wanted to reassure her, let her know that there was nothing to be scared of. I thought if I could show her how I felt about her it might be easier for her to deal with it. So I kind of opened her mind to me. I never realized that what I was doing might be permanent."

"So let me get this straight." Michael said. "You wanted to make Liz feel better, but instead you basically made her some sort of antenna for alien thoughts. And now she's where she can't help us, and we can't protect her. Looks like I'm not the only one who can really screw things up."

"Screw things up?" Tess was incredulous. "This is great. Not only can we get the power we were supposed to have, but we also have Liz. And Alex and Maria can help us, too. We can be even stronger than if it was just us four."

"But I'm not even sure what I did. And what you're talking about, it's using Alex, Maria, and Liz like tools." Max glanced at Maria and Alex. "In order for them to help us, they would have to be put in danger."

Alex had promised to protect Isabel any way he could, and he wasn't going to change his mind now. "I can live with that."

Max caught Isabel's anxious look. "But I can't."

"So we just ignore the fact that we have the power to help ourselves? We just wait for them to come and kill us?" Tess asked.

"I can't tell you what to do. But I can tell you that what I did was very...personal. You won't be able to do it without exposing a lot of yourself." Michael and Isabel both looked uncomfortable at the thought. "We would still have to face our enemies, even without knowing about this. I'm just saying that we act like it never happened and do the best we can. Just think about it before endangering anyone else we care about."

**********

Michael set the wrench down in annoyance. Of all the times for someone to be at the door it had to be just when he was in the middle of something. He hastily wiped his hands off on his jeans and after several greasy attempts to manipulate the doorknob remembered he had other options. A slight flexing of his mind and the door swung open on its own.

"Hey, is Tess home yet?"

"No."

Isabel dropped her purse on the counter that served as the kitchen table and settled into a bar stool to watch Michael working at the sink. "We're supposed to go pick up Maria and go shopping and to a movie. Want to come?"

He looked at her like she was crazy, then turned back to fiddling with the faucet.

"I didn't think you would, I was just trying to be polite...Speaking of politeness and Maria, what's going on with you two?" The pause in his work was so subtle, Isabel never would have noticed if she hadn't expected it.

"What do you mean?"

"Come on, Michael. I've seen how you've been acting around her. I know you guys have this whole dark, moody relationship or whatever going and maybe it works for you. But lately you've been rude even by Michael standards."

"Thank you, Miss Congeniality."

"You know what I mean. I know you, Michael. Something is bothering you."

He leaned against the counter and tapped the wrench in his palm. "It's just...I get the feeling that something bad's going to happen, and it may be because of Maria."

Isabel had to admit that she'd had her doubts about Maria at the beginning, but time and again Maria had proven them wrong. "Is it something she did?"

"No, not really. But I keep having this dream. In it she does something...something to betray us. I tell myself that it's just a dream, but it seems so real. When I wake up it takes me a while to figure out what's really going on, and even then I still feel it with me. I just can't shake the feeling that this dream is like the one we had before. Tess said that dream was to guide us. Maybe this one is, too." He looked pensive for a minute, then shrugged. "Maybe not. All I know is, I look at Maria, and it seems like something's not right."

It seemed quite a coincidence to Isabel that Max and Michael would both be having troubling dreams. Then she thought of what Max had said, that they were never 'just' dreams for them. She had a feeling that it probably wasn't coincidence either. Luckily, she thought, she might just have the tools to figure out this problem.

As she thought, she watched Michael at work at the plumbing, and a strange feeling came over her. Michael's hands moved so surely, with a confident grace she'd never noticed before. Without her wanting it to, her mind placed her own her own skin there instead of the cold, gray metal and she could almost feel his touch, firm yet gentle, leaving it's trace over the intimate curves of her body. Finally she tore her eyes away, breaking the spell, but not able to dispel the warm, liquid sensation inside of her.

Mercifully, the door opened and Tess flew in, full of apologies about being late and rushing to change her clothes. Isabel was glad to hide her embarrassment in Tess's franticness, and as soon as Tess was ready, quickly escaped out the door.

**********

The man shuffled unsteadily through the alleyway moving from dumpster to dumpster, his course changing when he spotted Michael coming out from the back of the cafe. It was just another sign of the season in Roswell as any possible shelter filled with transients heading south, escaping the winter frosts. It never bothered Michael to see them like it did other people. Something in him whispered his life wasn't so different from theirs, that he could just as easily had the same rootless life, and still one day might.

As the man came closer, Michael anticipated the usual request for a handout. "Hey, man. I'm pretty low on cash. I can get you some fries, maybe a burger. But then you got to move on."

"That won't be necessary." The man waved his hand, and as it passed in front of him the man's appearance changed briefly before falling back into shabby neglect.

"Nasedo." Michael felt an odd mixture of relief and resentment. "Where have you been? We've been trying to reach you for weeks."

"I've had to be very careful lately. I've discovered that our enemies are closer than I'd hoped."

"How close?"

"It seems they've been working with Agent Pierce. Their leader has been feeding Pierce's fear of an alien invasion, promising to help the humans in return for the information that Pierce finds out. I've managed to shake him off the trail for now but I think he's curious. His scouts may be here now."

"The FBI also hasn't lost interest in Roswell yet, although I've managed to leave a few new clues in some other places. But you must be very careful. They are still watching closely." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a crumpled up brown paper bag. "I wouldn't have risked coming here, but I thought you should have this."

Michael looked in the bag. All he could see were some rocks and some twisted wires. "I could have gotten this off the floor in shop class."

"They are tools, and they may be very useful. If you can figure out how to use them."

Once again the frustration rose up in Michael. "Suppose you tell me."

Nasedo shrugged. "I don't know how. My only purpose is to protect you, I don't know what you were supposed to learn."

"Great. So, you're like some intergalactic German Shepherd."

"That doesn't mean the knowledge isn't in you."

Michael stuffed the bag into his pocket. "Hey, we found something, too. It's what I've been calling you about." He pulled a neatly folded piece of paper out of his wallet and handed to Nasedo. For once Nasedo looked shocked as he opened it and saw the symbols.

"Where did you get this?"

"I copied them off the wall of a cave up near Los Alamos. What does it say?"

"It says the Anasazi were here living with the indigenous people. It also gives directions to a ship. If it's still there-"

"It is. We found it."

Nasedo just stared at Michael as if he couldn't quite believe what he was hearing. "This is good news, it's a good thing I took the chance to come here. I may be back sooner than I thought."

"You're not staying?"

"Pierce is already late for an investigation in Wisconsin. Something about some cattle. I don't understand why humans think anyone from another galaxy would be so interested in their crops and livestock."

"What should we do?"

"I need to lay out a few more surprises, then I'll find some way to have Pierce disappear and come back here. Just try not to attract too much attention until then. Oh, and watch out for anyone eating Tic-tacs."

"Tic-Tacs?"

"They're small breath fresheners, sold in plastic boxes."

It seemed to Michael that the conversation had suddenly taken a turn to the ridiculous. "Yeah, I'm familiar with them. Why?"

"Well, technically, it doesn't have to be Tic-Tacs, any kind of mint will do, but Tic-tacs seem to work the best." If this was a joke, Michael wasn't getting it. Nasedo saw his confusion and continued. "The earth's atmosphere is really pretty unique in the amount of oxygen it has. Humans have somehow adapted to such a large amount of toxic gas in the air. I seem to be protected by my hybridization, but other aliens aren't as lucky. They need something to help their bodies deal with it, and sweet, minty things seem to work."

"Is that why we crave sweet and spicy food?"

Once again Nasedo looked vaguely amused. "No, that's just your alien side asserting itself. Food was a little different where you came from."

**********

At the end of the alley way Philip Evans stopped at his car door, interested in the exchange taking place behind the Crashdown. He wanted to talk to Michael about what he saw, but he only had an hours recess from court and was running out of time. He lingered long enough to be sure that Michael wasn't in any danger and wondered again what exactly was going on in his children's lives.


	17. Chapter 17

With a slight change in the incendiary red digits on the display bass notes began pushing through the air, supporting the bubble gum melody of one of the latest pop hits. It wasn't loud, but was enough to slowly rouse Isabel from sleep. Bleary-eyed, she sat up and fumbled for the off button. She didn't see four-o-clock in the morning often, but she figured this would be the best time to accomplish her mission. She crept down the hall to peek in on her brother, making sure he was sleeping soundly before heading back to her room.

She wasn't quite sure how she was going to accomplish what she wanted, but figured it was at least worth a try. She looked at the pictures of Max, Michael, and Tess, trying to commit them to memory. It might help, and she wouldn't be able to look at them later.

Best to start with the easiest first. She closed her eyes and concentrated until she could form an image of Max in her mind. The familiar vertigo hit her, then she was standing on the streets of Roswell as people ran in panic around her. A helicopter flew overhead, and Isabel caught sight of Max as he began to run down the street.

"Max! Max, wait!" She ran after him, calling, and finally he slowed to look at her, his eyes wild and confused.

"Isabel. We have to go. They're after Liz. They're at the Crashdown."

She grabbed his arm to hold him in place. "No, Max. It's just a dream. But I'm real. I'm here."

He was still caught up in the dream, but something inside him made him stop, responding to the truth of Isabel's presence. "Why?"

"Michael's been having dreams, too. I want to try to link us together to see if we can find out what's causing them."

The understanding slowly came over Max.

"What do you need me to do?"

"I'm not sure. Take my hand. Now, I don't know what will happen in minute but I want you to concentrate on me. Just keep thinking about what I look like now, and try to keep my image here."

She tried to close her eyes again, but found she couldn't in the dream.

"Oh my God, Max. I need to see Michael, but I can't. I can't close my eyes to picture him."

In her panic she followed Max blindly as he pulled her along the street and up the stairs of the Crashdown. He burst into the Parker's home and she saw it all. The FBI agents, Michael shot down, Liz soon after. Still holding Max's hand, she knelt beside the dream Michael's body.

"It's only a dream. It's only a dream." With Max's help she turned him so she could look upon his face. The vertigo again...

Then everything was transformed. Now she was downstairs in the dining room of the Crashdown. Max wasn't there and for a minute she worried that she had lost him, but she could still feel the phantom of pressure against her hand, symbolizing that the connection had not been broken. It was difficult to divide her attention like this, but she did her best to look around the room while keeping her connection with Max. Isabel saw Michael and Maria against the counter and wasn't quite sure of the best way to intrude on the situation. She cleared her throat, causing them to pull away from each other in surprise. Isabel couldn't understand the look of guilt on Michael's face. He began to say something, then anger filled his eyes as he looked past her. She turned to find Agent Pierce standing behind her, an amused smile on his face.

"What are you doing here?"

"Michael, no. He's not real." Isabel's head was beginning to throb. She could feel Max slipping away and knew she couldn't last much longer. "It's time to stop these dreams. Give me your hand."

He was torn between the unexpected appearance of Isabel and the desire to defend himself against Pierce. The dream Pierce stared at him, his smile mocking, but didn't move.

"Now, Michael." Hesitantly, Michael reached out to Isabel. Isabel's head spun as their hands touched, and the Crashdown dissolved around them.

**********

_The preparations were going well. People scurried around, making the final adjustments to the decorations and cleaning frantically so everything would look perfect for the festivities. Kronar smiled, pleased with the way things were coming together. He wasn't so isolated from the city that he didn't know what was going on. People were trickling in from the outlying villages with rumors of attacks, feeding a restlessness that was getting greater everyday. A wedding was just what was needed to bring some peace._

_"Ah, here she is. The radiant bride."_

_His sister nodded for her handmaidens to continue on without her and joined her brother as he walked through the halls._

_"Kronar, I have heard the stories coming in from some of the distant settlements. I wonder if it wouldn't be a good idea to postpone the ceremony."_

_"Postpone? Or cancel?" She was ashamed that he had guessed what she was thinking. "Eibach is one of our best friends. We grew up with him. You love him."_

_Inanna sighed. "Yes, like I love you."_

_"He's the commander of our armies, aligned with a prestigious clan. This marriage will bring security to our people."_

_"Is that the purpose of marriage, to bring security?"_

_Kronar smiled tightly. Inanna lowered her head in embarrassment. She had no right to complain of this to him. "It is for us. We have the blood, we have a responsibility to our people." He was lost in his own thoughts, reflecting on the disappointments his status had meant to his own life. He shrugged them away with practiced ease. "And part of that responsibility is hosting a banquet tonight, and we are running out of time. Your bath should be hot by now, go get ready." She nodded and retreated to her chamber where her handmaids were waiting._

_***********_

_Eibach made his way across the balcony, keeping an eye out for anyone who might observe his progress. Sure that he had not been spotted he slipped through the doorway into the royal chamber. His queen sat on the polished couch, rubbing the scented oil on her skin._

_She didn't turn as he came up behind her, just pointedly continued massaging until her skin was shiny and lavender. "You came."_

_He placed a hand against her back and began coaxing the molecules beneath his hand to move in his own particular rhythm. "I always do."_

_She smiled and leaned against him, enjoying the sensation. "Inanna might find out."_

_She caught his hand and pressed her own against it, altering the vibration of her molecules to match his, causing the flesh to melt together. He sighed in pleasure. "I don't care."_

_**********_

_Kronar stood in the courtyard. The great symbols in the front of the palace had worn down greatly since his own wedding. Now the workmen were re-carving them, and the fresh, sharp lines made him think back to that day. Inanna was upset about marrying a man she had known her whole life. He had waited here, even younger than she was, still reeling from the death of his father. Barely adjusting to the mantle of power newly placed on his shoulders, he had met the woman that in a few hours he would be joined to for the rest of his life. At the time he resented it, as Inanna did. But there was nothing to be done, the choice had been made for them long ago._

_Kronar heard a low rumble. A workman stumbled as he walked past, then Kronar felt the ground shake beneath his own feet. The people in the courtyard began to scramble towards the shelter of the doorways as his own guards came to swarm around him protectively. The lead guard grabbed his arm and began steering him toward the throne tower._

_"Sir, it's an attack. We must get you to safety."_

_He began to follow, then saw the ship materialize above the palace by the family chambers._

_"Freyka."_

_The guard pulled on him again. "The queen's guards will protect her."_

_They ran into the palace, but in the main hall Kronar broke free of the guards and ran up the stairs to his private chambers. He paused long enough at the doorway of Inanna's chamber to see the handmaids. Wounded, they reached out to comfort each other and tended to the dying and the dead. Inanna floated lifeless, the bath oil around her glowing brighter as her blood flowed into it._

_**********_

_So consumed with the pleasure of joining, Eibach barely registered the first explosion as the intruders gained entrance to the palace. Slowly he extricated himself to find the enemies had already surrounded them. He placed himself in front of his queen protectively._

_"How did you get in here?"_

_The man with the ranking insignia sneered. "Ask your queen. She's the one who lured you here, then emptied your guard houses so we could get past the perimeter barrier."_

_She nervously straightened her dressing robe, not meeting his eyes, until in a rush of emotion she grabbed his hand, pleading. "I had to do it. Kronar's ideas are causing our civilization to suffer. Our people are dying, starving to death. Look in the great books. The time of our alliance with the Anasazi was a golden age. There were no wars, no starvation. I'm doing this so we can bring those times back."_

_Eibach shook her hand away. "It was a golden age, but only because we were slaves to the Anasazi. No one starved only because so many died of punishment and misuse. Kronar wants a better life, too. That's why he's cutting out the corruption. It will hurt until the people get back fully what was theirs, then we will be stronger than ever." His eyes narrowed, disgusted by the sight of her. "But you can't see that. Now you have sacrificed the blood of your king, of you husband. The blood that has kept us free for so long."_

_Freyka shook her head. "No. No one is going to die. You and I will convince Kronar to step down, and you will take over. The Anasazi will support our claim. We'll build a new world, together."_

_"You fool." He turned towards the guard, who lifted an arm and a bright light engulfed Eibach. Kronar arrived at the doorway just in time to see his skin glaze and crackle as he melted towards the floor. Freyka watched, the horror in her face growing with the realization of what she had done. Kronar ran to her but she was already caught in the light and shrinking away._

_The soldier sneered. "The king, too? This really has been too easy."_

_Kronar stared at the bodies on the ground as the blinding light seared through him._

**********

The connection broke and Isabel fell back into herself. Her bed felt hard as concrete beneath her as her senses came slowly back to her. She was confused at first to still feel a pressure around her hand, but as the room came into focus she could see that Max was already there.

"Isabel, are you all right?"

She carefully sat up. "Yeah, I think so."

"You shouldn't have done that. We don't know what might have happened."

"I'm okay. And we learned something about who we were."

Max's concern gave way to a steely coldness. "And that we all died ... because of Tess."


	18. Chapter 18

The deadbolt swung into place with a satisfying click and Maria sighed, glad that the night was finally over. It was the night of Roswell High's winter ball and of course some couples always ended up coming in to the Crashdown, so Maria had to wait on them with a stupid smile plastered on her face, pretending not to care as another fabled memory- making moment passed her by. At least Michael hadn't been working. The only thing worse would have been having to see his sullen face all night.

She busied herself with wiping down the counters and mopping the floor until Jose came in to say goodbye and she realized that it was time to leave. She took a last look around to make sure everything was ready for the next morning then shut off the lights. As she passed through the kitchen door she was startled by a figure standing by her locker.

"Michael! You scared the shit out of me!" He didn't stop to look at her but continued rummaging through her purse. "What are you doing? Give that to me! That's personal property!" He pulled her key ring out and threw the purse back in the locker.

"I need to use the jetta."

She grabbed the keys away from him. "No, you may not. What the hell are you thinking? You barely speak a word to me for weeks, but now that you need something you think you can just come in and get it. I am not a thrifty car rental."

"Look, this is important. There's something I really have to do."

"Well, then find some other way to do it because you're not getting my car."

"Go with me, then."

Once again Michael had thrown her totally off guard by doing the last thing she expected him to. She knew she should tell him off for treating her like dirt for so long. She knew she should tell him to go away and never talk to her again. She knew she should walk away and try to forget what she ever felt for him. But she also knew she wouldn't. Because life with him in it was like a roller coaster ride with corkscrews and tunnels and stomach-churning falls. And even though it sometimes made her want to vomit, she still wasn't ready to get off. She threw her apron into the locker in defeat. "All right."

He snatched the keys from her weakened grasp. "Good. I'm driving."

**********

The car began to vibrate noisily as the surface below changed from asphalt to the washboard of the dirt road. Maria was studiously examining her cuticles between surreptitious glances at the speedometer, hoping that Michael would speed or do something else to give her a reason to stop this trip. But he hadn't, and now at the change of noise she ventured a look out the window. The landscape looked familiar, but it took her a while to recognize it as the reservoir outside of town. They had all been out here a couple times to talk without fear of being overheard, but she had never seen it at night before.

Michael parked the car overlooking the water and Maria tried not to think of how beautiful it looked, the breezes making ripples that reflected the full moon's glow like a shower of silver.

"So, this is where you needed to go?"

Michael shut off the engine but made no move to get out of the car.

"I thought you needed to do something."

"Yeah, I do."

"Okay, what are you waiting for?"

"Would you just stop asking so many questions?" After his outburst he returned to the same meditative state. Maria sat quietly, thinking that maybe it was part of whatever alien ritual he had to perform. "We need to talk."

"Talk? We could do that anytime in the Crashdown, you don't have to bring me all the way out here. All you have to do is open your mouth and exhale and the words usually come out. Although I guess lately you've forgotten how to do that. At least with me, anyway."

"I know, and I'm sorry."

Maria stared at him in amazement. "Michael Guerin, apologizing? I don't believe it."

"Maria, just listen, okay?" He took a deep breath. Words never came easily to him and he struggled for the right ones. "Somehow the pods gave Max and me these memories. Memories of our life before. I didn't understand them at first, I thought they were telling me that you were going to do something to hurt us." He saw the anger rising on her face and rushed to continue before she could speak. "I know I shouldn't have believed it, but it seemed so real. I should have trusted in you. Instead I acted like a jerk. I'm sorry."

Finished, he just stared at the steering wheel, waiting for her reaction. The tears welled in her eyes until everything looked rippled like the surface of the lake. The anger and pain churned up inside of her. Then she looked at Michael, waiting patiently for whatever she might do to him, and the feelings began to subside. Although he infuriated her in more ways than she could count, he was here now, facing her instead of running away. She knew exactly what that meant from him.

She brushed the tears away. "So, what's your planet like?"

That sentence was enough to know that he was forgiven, and Michael was relieved. But Maria could still sense an undercurrent of apprehension in response to the question.

"Strange." He paused briefly, thinking about it, but didn't elaborate. "You know, I've spent my whole life knowing I was different, and I've always been searching to find out what I was, hoping that when I did everything would change. That my whole miserable life in Roswell wouldn't be so bad because there was something better out there."

"But now that I've seen a glimpse of what that other life is, I'm not so sure. I always thought being human was terrible. But it's all I've ever known. The planet we come from is so different. And now that I've seen who I was, I'm not sure I want to be that person."

Maria had never seen Michael looking so fragile and unsure of himself before. She placed her hand over his. "You aren't. It's only one part of you, a part that you've always had. You're still who you always were. Still annoying, bad-mannered, and self-centered. And still someone I love."

His hand tightened around hers. He lifted his eyes to meet her gaze, then pulled her close. He was tired of denying his feelings. His mouth found hers hungrily as they both gave into the pleasure that had been denied them for so long.

**********

"What's that?"

"What?" Maria placed gentle kisses along the side of Michael's throat and his jawline, trying to get his attention back to the activity they had been engaged in a minute before.

"Something's happening." He pulled away and began digging in his pocket.

Maria smiled sweetly. "Oh, You must have ditched that day in health class. I can explain later, if we ever get to the point it's important. All you need to know for now is that it's perfectly normal."

He scowled at Maria and pulled an object from his pocket. To Maria it looked like an ordinary rock, except that golden flecks were flashing across the surface.

"What's that?"

"Something Nasedo gave me. He said it might be useful."

Maria sighed, discouraged that once again an alien artifact had ruined an otherwise perfectly fine evening. "You people with your rocks and caves. You must come from a species of geologists."

"A species made of rocks is more like it."

"What?"

Michael shrugged. "I think the people on the planet we're from are made of rocks or something."

"Weird. So what is this thing doing?"

"I don't know." As Michael held the rock the flashes began to increase in speed. "It's getting warmer." The flashes were getting so quick it was almost hard to see anything but a glow. The heat increased too, and as it burned into his skin Michael saw a vision. A large room, full of people. They were dressed up, dancing and laughing. It narrowed to a couple on the bleachers. They looked around nervously, then started to leave, but something was following them.

The burning was unbearable, and finally Michael dropped the rock. "Isabel and Alex. Someone's after them. Give me your phone."

Maria fished it out of her purse and handed it to him.

"Max? This is Michael. I think we got trouble."


	19. Chapter 19

So far the night had been magical, the kind of fantasy formal date so often depicted on TV and movies that almost no one really had, but for Isabel it was all coming true. She knew that Max and Michael thought she was crazy for doing this after the warning from Nasedo and finding out about Tess's betrayal, but she thought this was exactly what she needed. A night to just be normal.

She had imagined how this night would go. She would be beautiful, as always, and Alex would be awkward but charming, captivated by her beauty, trying to act romantic. But when she had opened the door when he arrived, parents standing by with cameras and camcorders, it was she who had been shocked speechless. Somehow she had never pictured Alex in a suit and was surprised at what she saw. He looked older, more serious, more confident. Sexy even. In a word, _good_. She could hardly believe that this was the same guy as he escorted her to the rented sportscar and took her to the nicest restaurant in town. He was the perfect gentleman, and soon she forgot all about aliens and destiny and betrayal.

After the way dinner went, arriving at the dance had been a let down. Surrounded by her classmates and the way they were staring reminded her that she was still Isabel Evans, and she had an image to keep. She lined up with the other girls in front of the bathroom mirror, making sure that her hair and make-up were still perfectly in place, when a conversation caught her attention.

"Oh my God. I just saw Alex outside, and girl, he looks fine."

"Alex? Alex _Whitman_? You're kidding?"

Isabel smiled to herself, proud that the date she had been teased about by the other girls was making such an impression, but she suddenly felt it might not be good to leave Alex alone for too long. She walked out the bathroom door and came face to face with her guidance counselor, Mrs. Baca.

"Miss Evans! Don't you look lovely!" She latched onto Isabel's arm and pulled her to the side. "I know this really isn't the time to "talk shop," but I was hoping that I could get you to make an appointment to see me sometime soon. The year is almost half over and I wanted to go over some college choices with you. I found this one scholarship to a nursing program that I thought-"

"I am _not_ going to nursing school."

"But your profile says-"

"And I do not need a scholarship."

"Hmm. Maybe I should have your parents in, too. You know, many people don't think about the special circumstances of having two children going to school at the same time. Your brother's always been such a good student, depending on where he goes it could get pretty expensive. I wonder if they've thought about that." She seemed to have forgotten that she was actually still in a conversation. "Anyway, you must be anxious to get back to the dance. But, please, come see me sometime. You don't want to let these things wait until the last minute."

She gave a sugary sweet smile that Isabel disdainfully returned, then headed for her next target. Thankful that the encounter was over, Isabel pushed her way to Alex, who was sitting at the bottom of the bleachers, watching the show go on around him.

"Sorry that took so long. I ran into Mrs. Baca and her crusade to make sure all of us become functioning members of society. She's worse than those fanatics at the airport."

Alex looked at her in confusion. "But Mrs. Baca's been working surveillance at the door the whole time I've been sitting here."

It did look like Mrs. Baca, but anyone who knew her would realize that something was definitely wrong. Instead of her usual flighty ball of energy, she coolly surveyed the students as they surged through the door. She turned as if aware of Isabel's gaze, and as she met Isabel's eyes the corner of her lips turned up in a mocking grin. Behind Isabel, the real Mrs. Baca walked into the gym, talking animatedly with another hapless victim. When Isabel looked again, the woman by the door was gone.

"Alex, I think we should go."

"Yeah, good idea."

They started to make their way across the crowded gym floor, but halfway to the door, what appeared to be a large member of the football team moved purposefully in their way, the same icy grin on his face. Isabel felt a growing pressure in her head. It quickly changed into a pain so sharp she could barely think. Alex saw her face pale and pulled her back through the swaying bodies towards the exit on the opposite side. As they neared the door Isabel felt another stab of pain.

"No, he's there."

They could see him ahead, his face frozen in the same grin as he searched the crowd for them. Their exits blocked, Alex lead them through the hallway under the bleachers into the nearest room and closed the door gently behind them.

*********

Max sat in the parking lot, watching the students going in and out of the gym. Some huddled in groups, denim jackets and army coats pulled tight around their evening clothes as they talked and smoked cigarettes. Michael hadn't been able to tell him much, only that Isabel was here, and Michael thought someone was after her. Someone after his sister. He had told Michael he'd meet him here, but he wasn't going to wait much longer. He opened the door of the jeep, and was almost hit as the jetta swerved into the space next to him.

"What took you so long?"

"We made a stop." Michael stated, matter-of-factly.

Max turned in surprise as the rear door opened and Tess stepped out. His expression hardened. "What is she doing here?"

Michael met Max's accusing glare. "Survival at all costs, Maxwell. She has powers, we may need them."

"I don't trust her."

"I do."

They were wasting too much time. Maria put her hand on Max's shoulder to get his attention. "Michael's right. We're talking about your lives. We have to use every advantage we have."

Tess shut the door and walked over to face Max. "Max, I do have memories of what our life was before, but I swear, I don't remember what you saw. But even if it is true, can't you understand that I've changed? You're not who you were then, I'm not either."

Max was silent a minute. "If you do anything to screw this up..."

Tess looked at him defiantly. "If any of us screw up, then we're all dead."

**********

Isabel slumped into a seat and put her head in her hands.

"Oh my God, Alex. What are we going to do? There's too many people out there, that thing could be anywhere, anyone."

"There is something we can do." She looked at him, knowing what he was going to say, wishing that he wouldn't. "You need to do me what Max did to Liz."

"But I don't even know what he did."

"Well, now's the time to try."

She shook her head. "I might hurt you."

"I can tell you for sure that thing out there is going to hurt both of us if you don't."

Her tears fell on her gown, turning the fabric dark where they landed. "I can't."

He stood up and ran his fingers through his hair as he collected his thoughts, then turned to face her. "Tell me the truth, Isabel. It's not that you can't, it's that you won't. There's this part of you that you always keep hidden, and I'm not just talking about being an alien. I thought we had finally gotten past it, that we were really starting to get to know each other. But the last couple weeks, you've started drifting away again. Now, even with our lives at stake, you're still not willing to let me in."

"I would like to figure out what went wrong, to get back to where we were before. But now I know that after everything we've been through, you still don't trust me. Without that, what chance do we have?"

"Alex, I-" They both jumped as the doorknob turned. They ran to the back of the room and hid behind the desks as the door opened.

"Isabel? Are you in here?"

Isabel ran and threw her arms around her brother. "Max. I'm so glad you're here. But something's out there. We have to get out of here."

"I know. Come on."

**********

He had noticed them come in, not that it was hard in their jeans and tee-shirts amid a sea of ball gowns and tuxedos. But he would have known them anyway. The air crackled with their presence. It was pure luck that he had found the girl, but he was sure as long as he kept an eye on her she would lead him to her brother. And sure enough, here he was, their king. In fact, they were all here. It would be done quickly, and it would all be over.


	20. Chapter 20

Maria followed the others through the hallway. They hadn't seen anybody yet, but she had the strangest feeling that they were being followed. They paused as Max checked around the next corner. Maria looked behind her for Michael, but froze as she saw the figure coming out of a doorway.

"Michael, behind you!"

"Keep going." He yelled to the others, then turned to face their pursuer, calling to himself all the power he had in him. He held it, concentrating it, until he stretched out his hand and directed it towards the enemy. It was met by a brilliant fire that reflected it and pushed it back on Michael. He was lifted off his feet, and Maria heard a sickening crack as he flew against the brick wall and crumpled to the floor.

They all watched, horrified, as Maria knelt down beside him. She took his hand and was rewarded with a slight fluttering of his eyelids.

It was all the others had time to see as the man, ignoring Maria and Michael now, continued towards them. He didn't hurry, but strode forward purposefully, seemingly enjoying this game of cat and mouse.

They reached the end of the hallway and ducked into the stairwell. They could still hear his footsteps on the tile floor, getting closer.

Tess grabbed Max's arm. "You guys go. I'll hide the doorway until he goes past." They hesitated, then Max nodded and they continued quietly up the stairs. Tess closed her eyes and searched for him. Their minds touched, and she began to alter the neural pathways that told his mind what he was seeing. But something unexpected happened. She couldn't hold the connection, and when her eyes opened the doorway that she knew was there was gone. She was in a small room, with no windows or doors. She knew that it was all in her mind, that he was doing to her what she had tried to do to him. She struggled, but she couldn't break free. Panicking, she began to beat against the walls. It wasn't real, but she could feel the rough brick surface tearing into her skin as she pounded against it. Losing sight of reality, she screamed and clawed at the bricks, trying to find a way out. Finally, bruised and crying, she sank to the floor.

Max, Isabel and Alex crouched on the hallway floor, listening for footsteps on the concrete stairs.

"She can't hold it for this long. Something must be wrong." Isabel took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. "Max, what are we going to do? We can't just run away. We have to do something to help Tess and Michael."

"But what?" Alex asked. "I thought Michael was like the fighter, and that thing just blew him away."

Max put his arm around Isabel and glared at Alex. "Alex, I want you to take Isabel and get out of here."

Isabel grabbed Max's arm. "Max, no. That thing's going to get you, too."

"I don't hear him anymore. Whatever Tess did must have fooled him. I'm going to try to get Michael." Max moved back towards the stairs. "Wait for me out front. But if I don't show up, take the jeep and try to find Nasedo. He's the only one who can protect you."

"Tess?" Her eyes were open, but she didn't respond. It was like she was frozen. Even her skin seemed cold under Max's touch. He tried to lift her up, but her body was rigid. He thought about leaving her there, but it didn't seem right. Whatever had happened to her, it was because she had defended them. Even after the way he had treated her. He stood there, trying to decide what to do, when he heard a noise behind him.

"I hoped that you would come back to help her. After all, she is your wife."

"What did you do to her?"

"Nothing. She'll be fine as soon as I'm done with her. I have no interest in her. It's you I want. You and your sister."

The man raised his hand, and lightening exploded between Max's temples.

Liz was sitting at the kitchen table, playing a game with her cousin when she felt the pressure begin inside her head. It increased, and suddenly the dim kitchen bulb seemed to burn into her eyes. Startled, she gasped and the spoon she was holding clattered to the floor.

"Mi hija! Are you okay?"

"Fine, Auntie Rosa. I'm just getting a headache. I'm going to go get some fresh air."

She walked toward the back door and could hear her aunt calling out behind her. "Don't forget a jacket."

As she reached for the coat rack the pain exploded inside her head. She quickly staggered outside and collapsed beneath a tree. She crouched with her head in her hands as the agony washed over her. The pinon scented air froze her lungs as she breathed it in and the sharp sensation helped clear away some of the pain.

She was aware of Max, but she was aware of his enemy, also. Her hands dug into the brittle grass as a fresh assault hit her. Every disappointment and fear Max had ever felt was being dug up and held in front of him. It was psychological warfare and Max was losing strength fast. He was losing awareness that it was his enemy that was controlling this onslaught and began to give in to the hopeless of the emotions that were being intensified in him. Then it all crystallized into one moment. Liz saw herself at the moment she had told Max she was leaving and she felt Max's heartbreak with a crushing force.

She could hear all the doubts that Max carried inside of him and she was aware that Max's enemy was amplifying them, making Max believe that Liz had never loved him and that by being who he was he had endangered her life. It was more than Max could bear and she could feel the last of his strength slipping away.

She tried to reverse the connection, to let Max know that she loved him now, she always would, but she couldn't reach him. She felt Max's will waver and the lust of conquest rise up in the enemy's mind. He would kill them all. But Max couldn't feel it. All he could hear were the lies. She concentrated on just shutting them out, but she shared Max's feelings and it was getting harder to resist them.

Then something inside snapped. Where Max's will had retreated, hers moved in. His powers were hers now and she struck out against the evil. Burning fingers tried to reach into her brain but she pushed against them. Slowly they lost hold. The blood pounded in her ears, drowning out everything else until it was deafening. The pain behind her eyes exploded, then was gone and all she was aware of was the gentle beating of her heart.

Isabel and Alex stood on the stairs, watching the silent battle taking place in front of them. They saw the shimmering haze surround Max and his opponent, and Max clutch at his head in agony, trying to drive away the presence in his head. Slowly he fell to his knees, and the haze around him wavered. Isabel ran to him, but the haze threw her back, and she could only watch as the energy drained out of Max in front of her eyes.

Then Max's head snapped up. The air around him began to shimmer and sparkle until finally it glowed. It began to stretch out, tendrils pushing against haze. Slowly at first, then gaining power as the resistance against it weakened. Moving quickly now, it encompassed the man in a shimmering cocoon. He stretched out his arms against it, but it held him tight. He screamed, an inhuman noise that echoed through the concrete hallways. The air whirled around him with the fury of a tornado. Isabel shut her eyes against the violence of light and motion, but it shined brighter until all she could see was the red light of the blood in her eyelids. Then everything was calm. She opened her eyes, and the man was gone.

"Max." He was crumpled on the floor, tremors racing through his body. "Alex, help me."

They began to lift him up when they heard a groaning behind them. "Tess."

Isabel swung her brother's arm around her neck. "Let's get him to the jeep. We'll come back for her."

"It's okay, we got her." Michael walked in, holding his side and wincing with every step.

"Michael, you're hurt."

"I'll be okay." He continued toward Tess. "Maria?"

Maria shot a worried glance at Isabel, then hurried to help him. Tess was starting to come to and struggled to get to her feet, which Maria was glad of. Although he was trying to be as strong as he could, she could hear Michael wheezing with every movement. Tess noticed too, and although still weak and disoriented leaned so most of her weight was on Maria.

The best Alex and Isabel could accomplish was to half-carry, half-drag Max. Isabel didn't like how shallow his breathing was, or how he still shook fitfully. "Let's go this way, I don't want to take them through the dance floor looking like this."

Isabel tried to lead them to the door at the back of the gym, hoping there might not be too many people there, but on a night like tonight knew there was no way to get out with out someone seeing them. The few groups who had gathered on the softball field for some fresh air quieted as they went past. For once Isabel found her attention was not on the people watching her and what they might think. She didn't even notice the person who had come up behind her until he spoke.

"Here, let me help."

"Kyle?" She didn't want to let go of Max, afraid he might just disappear if she didn't hold him to her. But she was so exhausted after everything that had happened and the jeep looked so far away. She relented, and moving faster now the ragged band made their way towards the parking lot.


	21. Chapter 21

Dragging Max's limp body up the flight of stairs to his room was not an easy or quiet task, and Isabel was thankful her parents had decided to have their own night out and the house was empty. Even though she had often wanted an excuse to share the truth with her parents, she didn't want it under these circumstances.

His skin was unnaturally pale and although the house was warm and his shirt slick with sweat, he still shivered. Isabel pulled the covers over him and brushed the damp hair away from his forehead.

"Liz!" He didn't open his eyes, but clutched at Isabel's arm with a strength that surprised her considering how he looked.

"Shhh. It's okay. We're all okay." Isabel had never really seen anyone sick before. She had never felt how hot skin could get and on her brother it terrified her in a way she'd never felt before. She'd always been prepared for the fact that something might be coming for them, but it never occurred to her that something might happen to Max, and she would still be there.

"God, Alex. I've never been through this before. I don't know what to do."

"Can't you do something with your powers?"

"I've tried. But I don't know what's wrong. I don't know how to fix it."

"Well, the hospitals kind of out of the question, so I guess we just wait, and hope he gets better."

"Will you stay with us?"

Alex took off his tie and jacket and hung them over the back of the chair. "Why don't you go wash up, change your clothes. I'll let you know if anything happens."

Isabel had refused to leave Max's side, even after the fever broke. She had lain next to him, speaking softly, as his breathing became more regular and the shuddering subsided. The talking gave way to silence as she too had fallen asleep, the worst of her fears over. She moved in her sleep, her baggy sweats twisting around her, her hair in a tangle behind her shoulders. Her face relaxed to a child-like innocence it'd probably never known awake. It was an image Alex never got to see, and he wanted to just sit and take it in as long as possible. To Alex she looked beautiful, the Isabel he's always wanted to know. The one he knew he never would.

He shook her gently. "Isabel. I should probably be going."

She checked her brother again, then sat up nodding. "I'll walk you out."

He gathered his things and they quietly made their way downstairs. Isabel pulled her jacket tighter around her as they stepped out into the chill night air. She closed the door behind her and finally dared to talk above a whisper.

"Look, Alex. I'm sorry about what happened before-"

"That's okay. I should be apologizing. We all have parts of us we don't want anyone to know about. I shouldn't have gotten mad at you for just being human."

Isabel dropped her eyes to the ground. "But you were right. There is something I didn't want you to find out. I have been avoiding you lately. Something in me seems to be changing, and it has to do with you." He looked at her with interest. "Sometimes, when I'm around you, I get this feeling."

"I don't suppose it's love?" He tried to joke, but already knew it wasn't.

She shook her head. "No, more like nausea."

"So in other words, I make you sick."

"Alex." He could see hear the pain in her voice and knew it was hurting her just to admit this to him. But he couldn't help the way it made him feel.

"So, were you just not going to tell me? Just let me hang on, thinking that there was something for us and trying not to retch every time you saw me? I think I deserve a little better than that."

Isabel knew that there was nothing she could say and only stood there as the tears began to fill her eyes.

"Wait, does this have anything to do with the whole destiny with Michael thing?"

"I don't know. I think it might."

Alex sighed and held the car door open before getting in. "Isabel, I really like you. We're friends, and I don't want to change that. But I can't just be someone you cling to because it's easy. You need to figure out what's going on between you and Michael. But I can't just wait around while you do. I'll see you around."

Maria made sure that Tess was resting comfortably then walked out into the living room to check on her other patient. Michael was sitting on the edge of the couch, holding onto his side while breathing in short gasps, trying to avoid the pain that came when his lungs expanded too much.

She sat down next to him and eased his shirt up to check out the damage, and could tell he was in pain even from that slight movement. "I think you might have broken some ribs." He was badly bruised but there wasn't anything else wrong that she could see. "I wish we could take you to the hospital or something."

"I'll repair myself with time. I always have. I'll be fine."

She helped ease him down to lay on the couch and when she moved to get up he held her next to him.

"Now, what we're we doing before all this happened?"

"Not tonight, Loverboy." She adjusted the pillow under his head and kissed him gently. "Get some rest. I'll come by to see how you are tomorrow."

He nodded, but his eyes were closed and he was half asleep already. She watched him for a minute, not wanting to leave him like this but knowing there was nothing else she could do. She switched off the light and headed toward the door.

"Maria." She could barely make him out in the darkness. She wasn't sure whether he was really talking to her or just asleep. She waited to see if he would say more. "I love you."

She opened the door and in the light pouring in from the hallway saw that his eyes were half opened as he struggled for consciousness.

"I know. Now get some rest." She smiled and closed the door.


	22. Chapter 22

The jeep wheels screeched as Max hit the corner too quickly and flew onto main street. Sheriff Valenti, about to enter the station, jumped at the noise. He saw Max and gave him a cautionary nod. Max eased off the gas but couldn't quell the excitement pushing him on.

The last of the aches and sores from the enemy encounter were fading away, as were the emotional scars. They were no longer looking around every corner and worrying about what was lurking in the shadows. It was finally looking like life was getting back to normal. He was starting to feel like just a teenager again. A teenager who just finished his finals and had two weeks of vacation ahead of him.

But even without all that good news, Max still would have been happy. Because today, hopefully, Liz had come home.

He swung the jeep into the private drive behind the Crashdown. Gravity had no hold on him as he climbed the ladder to her balcony. Inside, Liz was unpacking her clothes when she heard the metal vibration outside her window. She slid open the window just as he came over the ledge and they both paused, drinking in the sight of each other. The next thing she knew she was flying, crushed in his strong arms as he swung her around.

"Liz, I'm so glad you're back."

"Me, too. Max, I'm sorry I left. I thought it was the best thing to do."

"I know. I never should have let you go. I thought I would be stronger without you. But Liz, you're my strength. I can't be who I am without you. And I'm never going to make that mistake again."

She smiled teasingly. "Is that a promise?"

He looked into her eyes and her heart began to pound until threatened to explode from her chest.

"Definitely."

Liz was finally getting back into the swing of things at the Crashdown. She would be concentrating on what she was doing, antennae bobbing crazily as she dashed from table to table tending on her customers, then by chance she would glance at the booth in the middle and uncontrollably her mouth would widen into a happy grin. Max barely took his eyes off her and everytime she looked he answered with his own steady smile.

It was making Isabel sick.

"Could you please control yourselves?"

"Sorry." Max looked down at his calculus homework. He knew how Isabel was feeling and he knew it wasn't helping her any to see him so happy, but what could he do? He was happy. He tapped his pencil on his notebook and tried to focus again on the work in front of him. But was no use. He looked for Liz again, and when he saw her heading towards them he broke out into a grin again.

"Can I get you guys anything else?"

Isabel looked at her brother pointedly, trying to will acknowledgment of her existence on him. "No. We promised Mom we'd be home for dinner. We'd better go."

Max closed his book and smiled at Liz apologetically. "Oh, yeah. I forgot."

She leaned toward him and he caught the thick brown hair as it swung toward him and twisted it around his fingers as he brought her mouth to his. The taste of her was intoxicating and he held her to him as long as he could before letting her reluctantly pull away. He knew she was embarrassed by this public display of affection, but the slight blush on her checks made her look even more irresistible. It didn't help that she nervously straightened her apron, drawing his eyes to the shape of her hips and what little of her legs her skirt covered.

"So," At the sound of her voice his eyes snapped back up and locked on to hers. "Are you coming over later?"

Max glanced over to the door where Isabel was waiting impatiently for him. "Yeah, after dinner. About seven?"

"Sure. Great." She kissed him again then backed away, keeping her eyes on him as long as possible before passing through the kitchen door. But even before she was through he was there with her. He swung her around, his arm around her waist pulling her hard against him. Her lips moved over his, moist and velvety, increasing his awareness of the length of her body pressed to him, a warm softness he could feel even through her uniform.

She pulled back, breathless. "Hey, can't you see the sign, employees only."

"So, arrest me."

"I wish I could and keep you with me all the time." She looped her arms around him, sending shivers down his spine as she gently caressed the back of his neck. The new position of her body caused another rush of adrenaline coursing through his bloodstream.

"I better go." He kissed her again, then released her and stepped back. "I'll see you later."

Max and Isabel arrived home expecting to find their mother busily preparing one of the gourmet dishes she always attempted when they were all home, but instead the kitchen was dark. In the living room they could see Diane sitting on the edge of the chair, her eyes dark with worry. Philip was pacing, but stopped when he saw them.

"There you are. I want you to come here and sit down. Your mother and I need to have a little discussion with you."

Max and Isabel exchanged confused looks, then sat down on the couch.

"We had an interesting meeting with Mrs. Baca today. She said you were both good students and that your prospects for college looked good. However, she was worried about the unexplained absences that you starting having last year." He looked meaningfully at them. "We were surprised to hear about them. She said she thought it had something to do with Max's illness. Apparently, there are stories of Max and some girl having to be dragged from the dance, barely conscious."

"I was willing to overlook the times you've sneaked out and been out all night, thinking it was just normal teenage behavior. But this, I don't know. This friend of yours, Michael, I know he's been in some trouble, but when I helped get his emancipation I thought he was straightening out. Now I see him talking to strange people, making weird purchases in the alleyways. Is it drugs?"

Isabel's eyes widened in shock. "Daddy, no."

"What is it then?"

Max raked his brain, trying to come up with a situation that would explain everything, but finding it hard to think with his father waiting expectantly for an explanation. His mother sensed his frustration and placed her hand over his.

"Honey, whatever it is, we're here for you. We can help you."

Isabel looked at her mother's concerned face, then at Max, in her eyes a silent appeal. "We have to tell them."

Max nodded. He tried to speak, but he couldn't find the words to tell them that would make it sound right. He swallowed nervously, trying to ease the dryness in his throat. He decided that the only way to do this was to just say it. "We're aliens."

His parents didn't say anything, and he was sure they thought he'd lost his mind. "We don't know what we are or where we came from, but we were in the ship that crashed here in 1947. We think we spent forty years gestating in pods in the desert. Ten years ago we broke out and that's when you found us on the highway."

Philip listened, his face turning a deeper shade of red. "Do you think this is some kind of joke? Because I assure you, young man, I am not in a laughing mood."

"No, Dad. Look." Isabel touched the book on the coffee table and the watercolor of the countryside on the cover changed to an ocean scene. She moved her hand to the vase of flowers next to it and the budding amaryllis spread its trumpet flowers and as it bloomed it changed from white to brilliant red. "We have these powers, we always have. We've just kept it hidden from you."

Diane still looked troubled, but there was also a new understanding in her eyes, as if some things were finally starting to make sense. The color had drained from Philip's face and he wavered a little, still not believing what he was seeing. He hesitantly reached for the flowers, then pulled his hand back.

"How did you do that? Is it some kind of trick? I want the truth."

Diane put a steadying hand on his shoulder and spoke for her children. "Philip, I think they're telling us the truth."

Dazed, Philip turned to the two people sitting in front of him. He had raised them, they had been his family for the last ten years. But now as his eyes fell upon them there was no recognition in his eyes. It was as if they were strangers he had seen now for the first time. Isabel felt her heart breaking as her worst nightmare was coming true.

"Daddy-" She raised her hand towards him, but before she could get any further she was interrupted by a loud crack and they all turned to see the front door as it flew off the hinges.

"What the hell-" Philip turned to confront the man who was now entering his home. The man waved his hand as if shooing away an insect and Philip and Diane, suddenly lifeless, crumpled to the floor.

"Oh my god. Max!" Isabel knelt on the floor beside her mother as Max stood to defend them. But before he could do anything white light burst out from somewhere behind him surrounding the intruder. He fell to the floor, writhing in agony as the light coursed over him, sending shocks through his body.

Nasedo stepped in from the kitchen. "That won't hold him for long. We have to get out of here. Come on, Tess is waiting out back."

Isabel held tightly onto her mother's hand. "No, I'm not leaving her."

"Max, grab her and let's go." Max waited a minute, debating what to do. In the fading light outside he could see more people walking towards the door. He took one last look at his parents then grabbed Isabel and pulled her out to Tess's waiting car.

Tess gunned the engine and the car began speeding down the quiet suburban street. Isabel turned around to see her house shrinking behind her. Tears streaming down her face she angrily confronted Nasedo. "How could you do that? How could you just leave them there?"

Nasedo answered her passion with indifference. "Your parents won't be killed. They're only after you. Now that you're gone, they will leave your parents alone. They'll be fine. It was the best thing you could do for them."

"Where are we going?"

"To pick up Michael."

"Are we going to fight them?"

"Yes, and this time we'll end it, once and for all."


	23. Chapter 23

Although the bruises were gone, the muscles underneath still had a way of getting twisted up. Maria massaged them gently, stopping every so often to lay a soft kiss on the back of the neck or over a shoulder blade. Michael relaxed under her gentle ministration and the knots began to melt away.

"I should have let you do this a long time ago."

"I know. You have no idea what you've been missing out on." Michael turned around, placing a hand on either side of her and crawled along her body, forcing her to lie back until he was perched over her.

"Maybe it's time I found out." He bent down to kiss her but was interrupted by the sound of a key in the lock. "Oh, crap. Tess."

Maria pushed him back so she could sit up and quickly yanked her shirt down. "I thought you said she worked tonight."

"I thought she did." He shrugged and looked up in time to see Tess walking through the door. "Hey, Tess. Do you think you could go get something to eat or something, maybe come back..." His voice trailed off as he noticed Nasedo behind her and the look on Max and Isabel's faces. "What's going on?"

Isabel looked on the verge of tears. "They attacked our house, our parents..." No longer able to control it, she slumped to the couch and covered her face with her hands, crying. Maria put an arm around Isabel, trying to comfort her but starting to feel scared herself. She looked to Michael for some explanation, he turned to Max.

"Who attacked you?"

"The Anasazi." Nasedo was going through the objects that Tess had kept from his house, picking up some with interest and discarding others. "You know, the people who are after you. The reason you were sent here for protection. They know about you now, there will be more coming. There's only one safe place for you now." He emptied Michael's trash out on the kitchen floor and placed his selections in the basket. "In fact, we should probably be going."

"Going? Where?"

For the first time Nasedo paused in his collecting, apparently annoyed by such an obvious question. "Back to Tsigan. You are all together. We've found a ship, and assuming that it still works, I can finally fulfill my function and take you home."

Max spoke angrily. "The only home I'm going to is my home to make sure that my parents are okay and get rid of the people who hurt them."

Now Nasedo put the basket down. "That's not possible. They know where you are now. The only way to get rid of them is to do what you were meant to do, return home and defeat them."

"But what if we don't want to go?"

Max and Isabel were surprised to hear the question coming from Michael. He was the one who always told them that one day that would have to leave.

"I do have other options, but now it will take too much time. And what will you do?" He looked Michael in the eye. "They can sense your brainwaves. Your thoughts are constantly interacting with the electromagnetic signals that surround this planet. As they change them they create a distinct pattern. With your progressed genetics I'm surprised that your own abilities aren't more developed. Although this one you've chosen is quite adept," he nodded toward Maria, "it seems that's the best it's going to get for the human race. Pity. It's a small skill, but it has it's uses."

"However, it also sends out a beacon that your enemies will be able to track. And although you may be able to run, staying out of their grasp for a while, I assure you, they will have no problem at all striking at you through any weakness you have, even if it means killing those you love. The best thing you can do to protect all of them is to leave, now. Once you are off this planet, they will have no reason to stay here."

Tess touched Max's arm lightly. "You must have known something like this would happen one day. It's what we were made for."

Max's head was spinning. Isabel was sitting on the couch, her arms wrapped tightly around her. He knew that she would stay with him whatever he decided. He turned to Michael, who gave a subtle nod.

"It's like she said, Maxwell. It's why we're here."

It's like everything in Max's whole life had been leading up to this moment. Whatever he decided, everything would change. He had a feeling that what Nasedo was saying was true, that if they didn't go they would spend their life being hunted, but going meant leaving behind everyone who had ever meant anything to him.

On the coffee table, the stone Michael had the night of the attack began to glow and vibrate.

"Time's running out, Max. You have to decide."

"Okay, we'll go. But I need to say goodbye to Liz."

A hum filled the air as the stone moved with greater intensity. The atmosphere took on a heaviness that they could all feel, telling them that their enemies were getting close.

"There's no time." Nasedo grabbed his basket and headed towards the door. He pulled Isabel to her feet and herded her and Tess out the door. "They're here. Everybody out the door and out back to Tess's car."

Max grabbed Maria. "Tell Liz that we had to go. Tell her...Tell her that I love her, and if there's any way possible I will come back to her. Tell her!"

Maria was still stunned by what had taken place tonight. She nodded numbly, then as if what was said had only just now made sense to her stared at Michael in disbelief. "I just got you back. How am I supposed to let you go?"

He gave her the same half grin that always made her want to either kiss him or kill him. "Like they say, easy come, easy go. No big deal. I was just having fun with you anyway."

Her eyes began to tear, but her voice was clear and commanding as she looked him in the eyes. "No, Michael. Don't make this the last memory I have of you."

The grin dropped from his face. He brushed the tears off her cheek and slid his hand behind her neck to draw her to him. He looked into her eyes for a long minute, then kissed her. She concentrated with her whole body, wanting to never forget this moment. Something in the way it felt told her that this was the last she would see him and she might never feel this way again.

Her gently caressed her check then kissed her softly again. "Goodbye."

He let go of her and she fell to her knees, no longer having the strength to stand.

They heard Max's voice in the hallway calling for Michael and suddenly there was someone in the doorway. Michael blasted it with all he had, the brilliant flash pushing the figure back and blinding Maria. When her eyes adjusted again to the darkness, Michael was gone.


	24. Chapter 24

They sat in deathly silence, shell-shocked, afraid to think further ahead than the distance of road the headlights showed in front of them or further back than it fell away behind. But what was gone was gone, and Michael slowly shook the trance that held him to venture into the life that lay ahead. He leaned forward to talk to Nasedo in the passenger seat.

"We're all here with nothing to do for the next, oh, five hours. Maybe it's time you let us in on what exactly we're supposed to be doing."

"We're going to the ship so we can take you home."

"Why? What are we supposed to do there?"

"I told you before, I don't know anything about your life before we came here. I was only given the information I needed to protect you. I wasn't told any more in case I had to blend with the Anasazi, they wouldn't pick it out of my mind."

Despite the feeling of the world falling away around him, Max found himself interested in what Nasedo had to say. "I heard about the Anasazi before. I thought they were some ancient civilization on earth. What do they have to do with anything?"

"The Anasazi are an ancient species, they have traveled all over the galaxy, conquering what worlds they could, destroying those they couldn't. We came to this planet hoping to flee them, imagine our surprise to learn that they had been here already. When we found the signs, we waited above the planet awhile, trying to determine whether it was safe or if we should move on. But we found that they were gone. They had visited the primitive beings here then lost interest in this backwater little planet long ago. Only their name lived on, left behind in the language of those they had lived with."

"If this planet is so terrible why did you come here?"

"A mistake, really. The scientists who made me searched the skies looking for a planet that had a civilization that would be able to help us. They picked up the signature of nuclear manipulation here and assumed it to be a sign of an advanced culture. Instead we found a society in it's infancy. Humans are unusually precocious, always dabbling into things their not ready for."

"But I can't say it didn't serve it's purpose. I told you that the Anasazi would be able to find you by reading the disturbance in the electromagnetic spectrum that your thoughts create. The nice thing about all that atomic experimenting that humans did was that it disrupted the earth's electromagnetic field, making it a perfect shield of your presence. So we decided to make the planet's youth work for us and planned to put down where the disturbance was the strongest, but we didn't anticipate the effect it would have on our navigational instruments. Instead of landing inconspicuously, we crashed down, a hundred miles off course."

"Our ship was ruined and half of our party was dead. We hid what we could in some nearby caves and returned to our ship, hoping to find something salvageable in the wreckage. But the response to our coming was quick, and before we knew it we were captured."

"Luckily, I was able to escape, and I drifted for a while, trying to find my way back to the crash site. I collected DNA from suitable hosts as I went, and when I returned to the caves I retrieved the essences we had brought with us and mixed the DNA with it, creating you. The book you found was my manual, and my notes so I would recognize you when I came back for you."

"I spent the time of your gestation trying to find my companion and a way off this planet. I was unsuccessful at either and when I came to get you I found that, like all humans, you had matured too quickly, and everyone but Tess was gone."

"I concentrated on just surviving, hoping that I would find you. Luckily the atomic shield dissipates with time and after fifty years I was finally able to pick up a faint signal and hurried to collect you. Did you think it was a coincidence that I found you right before your enemies showed up? The only reason you've made it this far is that I knew which planet you were on. Once you used the communicators, so did they."

Michael sat back, thinking about the answers he had finally been given, but something Nasedo had said earlier came to his mind. "You said you had other options, what were you talking about?"

"We didn't go into this endeavor without having a back up plan in case the engineering didn't work or something happened to you. When I couldn't find you, I did what I was programmed to do. I had reserved part of your essences, and I worked on seeding it into other hosts. Of course, the alien part wouldn't be as strong as in you, but it might be enough."

A question that had been nagging Max for a while started to work itself out in his mind. "What do you mean by "seeding"?"

"Finding human embryos and infusing them with the essence."

"And that worked?"

"Well, there were a few mistakes at first. But I eventually worked them out."

"And Hubble's wife? Was she a mistake?"

Nasedo turned his cold eyes on Max. "How does that pleasant human saying go; you can't make an omlet without breaking a few eggs. It was what I had to do."

Suddenly the information that they had been so eager for seemed like too much, and they settled back into silence.

Liz combed her hair for what must have been the fortieth time. She was not going to look at the clock. It would only tell her what it had the last fifteen times, that it was after seven, it had only been two minutes from the last time she looked, and Max still wasn't there.

She heard a sound outside the window and turned in surprise. Someone was climbing up the fire escape. It was a sound she hadn't heard in a while. The first couple of weeks after she'd come back she and Max hadn't been able to spend enough time together. They would call each other late at night and more often than not their conversation would end with Max climbing the ladder to her balcony. They didn't do anything, really. Just sat talking or quietly looking at the stars, happy just to be near each other. That is until her father, battling a bout of insomnia, heard voices behind her door. He saw Max and made it clear that the only way Max would be allowed in the Parker household would be if he came in through the front door and it better be limited to a reasonable hour, dammit. So far they'd abided by the rules rather than have Max's visits cut off completely.

But she could tell that this time it wasn't Max. The steps were too light and they were moving too slow. Curious, she went out to look over the edge.

"Maria? What are you doing here?"

"Max isn't coming, Liz."

"What? Yes he is. We talked about it earlier. He's just late."

"Nasedo showed up at Michael's apartment, with Max and Isabel. Their enemies were after them. They had to go."

Liz shook her head, knowing that Maria would never lie to her or try to pull a joke so sick, but not wanting to believe it. "No. That can't be true. If Max were gone, I'd feel it. I know I would. Besides, he would never leave without saying goodbye. He's coming, you'll see."


	25. Chapter 25

The peak grew bigger in Tess's windshield, the rock pale against the night sky. Nasedo eagerly jumped out and patted the stone, causing a rain of dust as the door that Tess had hidden was opened again. He walked inside and they could hear his voice echo hollowly in the space. "Good, it's still intact. It looks like it will work."

Michael was the first to join him inside. "So, you can fly this thing?"

"No."

Michael looked at Nasedo in disbelief. "No? We leave everything and drive out to the middle of the nowhere, leaving everyone we know behind, unprotected and you can't fly this ship. What the hell did we come out here for?"

Nasedo walked toward Michael, a weird twinkle in his eye. "They didn't want to take a chance on me trying to leave this planet before my mission was fulfilled, so I was made so that I wouldn't be able to command any ship." He waved his hand over the ledge of symbols and they began to glow. "But that doesn't mean _you_ can't."

Isabel and Max had joined the rest in the ship now and looked at Nasedo with surprise. Michael's eyes narrowed. "Me? I can't even get a door open without breaking it."

"But you found out how to interpret the symbols. And you found this place. I told you before that your greatest power was in your humanity. Intellectually, humans are a sorry lot, but they have an unconscious mind that is one of the envies of the universe. They catalog information all the time and use it in ways that are astounding, and they don't even know why."

He led a stunned Michael to the center of the room. "You were the first to emerge from gestation, which means you had the least amount of essence fed into you. You are the most human, and your intuition is the strongest. And that's what's going to make you able to be the pilot of this craft. With Max's help."

Max was confused but stepped forward as if compelled when Nasedo beckoned to him. "I know what you did to the human girl. You really shouldn't have, you would have been much stronger in the fight if you had reached for one us. Lucky for you she was strong enough to help. But that doesn't matter now. What's important is you can help Michael so I can link with his mind and show him the way home."

Nasedo pressed one of the symbols and chair began to rise from the material of the floor. He lead Michael to it and sat him down. "Now Max, do your stuff."

Max looked uncertainly at Michael, then placed his hands on either side of his head and concentrated on repeating what he had done with Liz. He thought of who he was and all the things in his life that had made him who he was and forced Michael's mind open to accept it. Tess and Isabel could see the change in Michael as Max's life was laid bare before him. Max's hands shook as he pulled them away, but Michael caught his eyes and smiled gently.

"Thanks, Max." Max nodded, understanding that what Michael was saying was not just for what he had done now, but for everything he was and had tried to be. Max moved back and Nasedo came behind Michael and rested his hand on his shoulder.

"Now, Michael. You know what to do."

Michael looked at the glowing symbols and they began to pulse as hand shaped outlines appeared on the armrests. He placed his hands over them and was overwhelmed as the vastness of space opened up in front of him. Not cold and uninviting, but an ocean of jewels his for the taking. He could feel Nasedo with him, a gentle presence in his mind, guiding him. The ship, too, seemed to be pushing him forward, anxious to go. He knew what it wanted. Like so many times before he called the power within him, and as he focused it fed it into the ship.

The giant monolith shuddered and the sandstone cracked, sending shards of light up to cut through the night sky. Then a low grinding noise echoed through the desert canyons. The rock itself seemed to groan, then it collapsed as the structure that was it's core suddenly vanished.

A warm breeze carried the slight scent of the newly blooming plum trees up over the balcony wall but in an instant was gone again, leaving Liz surrounded by the cool chill of spring. She had been waiting a long time. Too long. But she wasn't ready to give up yet. She thought she heard a car in the alley and, thinking that it might be Max, went over to see. But as she stood a weird feeling came over her. It was like a thousand fingernails on a blackboard, like chewing tinfoil. It was every illness she had ever experienced rolled up in one and heightened in intensity. It tightened around her chest until she was fighting just to breathe. She could feel the tearing inside of her and the light from the window began to fade as Liz reached to the brink of consciousness, then the feeling was gone and all she felt was empty. Some part of her had been ripped away and what was left was shredded and raw.

It took all the strength she had to pull herself through the window and walk the few steps to the bed where Maria was sleeping. Maria opened her eyes to find Liz standing over her, deathly still, her face like stone.

"Their gone, Maria. I-" She choked on the words. Maria stood to hold her friend. He own tears came hot and furious, but Liz only stood like a statue. "I felt it. They're gone. They're really gone."

The End


End file.
